


Right Place, Right Time

by RayreeAnne



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Fairy tail au, Fluff, Mechanic Natsu, Mute Lucy, natsu x lucy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-04-14 01:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 50,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4545534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayreeAnne/pseuds/RayreeAnne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mute girl by the name of Lucy Heartfilia is having car troubles when a certain pinkette named Natsu Dragneel offers his assistance. And that’s just the beginning. (Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lucy Heartfilia just finished her last errand for the day. She leaves the grocery store with her cart full of bagged goods and heads towards her car. It’s easy to spot the solid blue, MINI Cooper because of the way the color stands out in the sea of cars. 

After the blonde finishes loading her trunk, she closes it and pushes the cart towards the closest cart corral. On her way back to her car, she thinks about being at home. Once she puts her groceries away, she can get back to reading her romance novel. It’s the only kind of romance her life gets. 

Lucy hops in her car and turns the key in the ignition. Much to her surprise, her car utters a horrendous noise. She stops and waits a moment before trying again, only getting the same result. The blonde ignores the rising panic inside of her and steps out, popping the hood. 

Making her way to the front of her car, Lucy props up the hood and takes a look. She instantly feels overwhelmed at the sight. The blonde doesn’t know a thing about cars and has no clue where to even start. She sighs in defeat and takes out her trusty cell phone. Her brown eyes just stare down at it while she holds it in her right hand. Lucy can’t even call a towing service for help. That’s clearly out of the question.

The blonde decides to text her best friend who always keeps her phone on her. 

Lucy: Levvvy, I need help D:

Levy: What is it, Lu?

Lucy: My car won’t start… :c

Levy: Oh no! That’s not good!

Lucy: Yeah…

Levy: Can you call for a tow?

Levy: Wait. Forget that last text. 

Levy: Do you want me to call for you?

Lucy: If it’s not too much to ask. 

Levy: Where are you?

Before the blonde can respond, someone walks up to her. 

“Car trouble?” a male voice asks. 

Lucy looks up and sees a guy with pink hair. His spiky locks are haphazardly placed and a cowlick makes his bangs stick up in front. He’s wearing grey coveralls with the upper part not properly around his torso, but tied around his waist. The stranger’s exposed black v-neck is dirty and covered in grease, much like his coveralls. His hands for the most part are clean while some tanned skin along his arms and face are darkened. 

“Need some help?” the pinkette asks. 

The blonde nods and she steps aside. 

The stranger sets his grocery bags down by the nearby tire and steps over to the hood to take a look. “What seems to be the problem?”

Lucy isn’t sure what to do. She can’t tell him her car won’t start. An idea comes to her so she goes under the note app on her phone and starts typing. 

The pinkette looks back at her and frowns. “I’m trying to help ya out.”

Brown eyes look up she holds a finger out, silently asking for more time with pleading eyes.

The stranger straightens up and crosses his arms over his chest.

The blonde quickly finishes and thrusts her phone out.

His dark green orbs scan over the words, mouthing the words silently as he reads. 

‘I’m mute and can’t talk. My car won’t start and I’m not sure why. It was fine when I parked here maybe thirty minutes ago.’

The pinkette’s body posture instantly changes. “Ah, man. I’m sorry!” He scratches the back of his head. “Maybe ya just need a jump. I’ll bring my car around.” He points to the empty spot over to the left. “Make sure nobody takes that spot!” Leaving his bags behind, the stranger takes off. 

Lucy checks the texts she misses and finds they are all from her blue-haired friend. 

Levy: I need to know where you’re at before I can make the call.

Levy: Hello? Lu?

Levy: Lucy, answer me! I’m starting to worry!

Levy: Don’t make me send Gajeel out to find you!!

The blonde types a message, clarifying she’s fine and receiving help from someone. She might have even thrown in her rescuer is a tad bit cute even if he’s covered in grease. By the time she sends it, a red jeep backs into the open space. The pinkette parks and gets out, heading for his trunk. 

“Name’s Natsu by the way,” he says as he makes his way around with jumper cables. “I work at a mechanic shop so I know what I’m doing.”

Lucy goes back to her note app to type. Once the pinkette finishes hooking up the cables, he looks at her phone’s screen. 

‘I’m Lucy. The only thing I know about cars is how to drive one. Thank you for helping me.’

“Don’t thank me yet. I still hafta get your car working.” Natsu walks over to his jeep and starts it up. 

While the two wait, they strike up a conversation. The blonde uses her phone to communicate while the pinkette still uses his voice. Lucy finds herself enjoying the company. 

Suddenly, the MINI Cooper roars to life. 

The blonde smiles and quickly hugs Natsu, ignoring the grease she could get on her clothes. She steps back to sign ‘thank you’ to him again and again. 

He grins. “You’re welcome.” While he takes care of the jumper cables, the pinkette talks. “Ya may wanna get it in the shop. I may not be around the net time it goes out on ya.”

Lucy nods in agreement, already figuring out when she’d have the time to. An idea comes to her and she starts typing yet again.

After putting the cables back in his trunk where they belong, Natsu walks over again and picks up his grocery bags. He opens his mouth to speak but stops when he sees the blonde holding out her phone for him to read. 

‘Would you want to get lunch with me? It’d be my way of thanking you.’

“Like now?” he questions. 

Lucy blushes and lowers her phone. Maybe she was being too bold. She had just met the guy. 

“Er, no. I didn’t mean that,” the pinkette clarifies, and motions down at himself. “This isn’t a good look for me.”

The blonde rolls her brown eyes and types. 

‘You went shopping like that.’

So she did have a point, but that’s not what Natsu was getting at. “I’d like to look nice for ya is all.”

Lucy blushes and types again. 

‘If it would make you feel better, would you want to clean up beforehand?’

The pinkette nods eagerly. “Totally. I say we meet at a restaurant called 8-Island. They have good grub there if ya have never been before.”

The blonde smiles and nods. She enjoyed eating there. 

Natsu decides to go out on a limb with a question of his. “Hey, how about I text you so we know when to meet? I ain’t sure how long it’ll take for me to get scrubbed clean.”

Lucy opens a new contact and hands her phone over to him. 

The pinkette grins and enters his information in. “Make sure to text me your name,” he says, handing it back to her. 

The blonde gets right on it and just texts her first and last name over. He put Natsu Dragneel as his contact name so it was only fair she did the same. 

“Okay”-he glances down at his phone-“Lucy Heartfilia, I’ll see ya later.”

She smiles and waves goodbye. 

Both drivers get in their vehicles and drive way, heading in different directions. 

Lucy considers herself lucky that Natsu was around to help her. Clearly it was the right place, right time kind of scenario for her car to give her a problem. If it happened somewhere else or even at another time, she wouldn’t have met that cute mechanic. Even with the grease, he was still pretty cute. 

The blonde did disagree with his earlier comment. The grease was a good look for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up writing more to the one-shot due to all of the positiveness I received! So here’s a little NaLu fluff. 
> 
> Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

As soon as the blonde arrives at the small house she lives alone in, she boots her laptop up. At record timing, she unloads the groceries from her car and puts them in their proper places. Finished with the task, Lucy runs over to her laptop and sits down. She opens up a video chat and calls Levy. Both of her feet are jiggling in place from her excitement. 

The short-haired bluenette pops up on the screen with a smile. “Hey, Lu!” 

*I’m going out to lunch later with him!* Lucy signs enthusiastically with her hand motions. 

Levy perks up. “Really? Tell me everything!” 

The blonde tells the story of her encounter with the cute mechanic. At some points, the short-haired bluenette has to tell her to slow down because she was signing too quickly. But by the end, Levy is squealing with delight. “Aw, I’m so happy for you, Lu!” Then she giggles and winks one of her hazel eyes. “Maybe Gajeel and I should stop by 8-Island later for some food.”

Lucy rolls her eyes dramatically. *No spying!*

The short-haired bluenette chuckles. “You know I’m kidding.”

The blonde smiles at her petite friend with a smile. The two just clicked from the very start because of their love of books. Levy even learned sign language so she could communicate with and understand Lucy. 

“So what are you going to wear?” the short-haired bluenette asks. 

It dawns on the blonde she hasn’t given any thought into her appearance. She looks down at herself. Her attire consists of a grey tee, pink and black running shorts, and shoes. Lucy at least wanted to look semi-cute while she was out and about. She looks at the screen. *Can you help me?*

“Of course, Lu! That’s what I’m here for!” 

xxx

Lucy’s bed is now strewn with tops, bottoms, and some dresses. She would change out of view and model for the short-haired bluenette. Nothing seemed to be working for her. She wasn’t happy. 

“We can’t give up, Lu,” Levy affirms. “We’ll find something for you.” 

Lucy frowns. *I just want to look great.* Then she takes a moment to think. *Why am I acting like this?*

“It’s a big step for you. You’re going out with a guy. And you’re the one who asked him out!”

The blonde blushes. *I only asked him because he helped me with my car.*

“Buuut from what you told me, it sounded like the both of you clicked.” 

Lucy thinks back to what happened and softly smiles. *I think so too.* An outfit idea comes to her suddenly. *I think I have something!* She rushes over to her closest and grabs the two items off their hangers, holding them up for the short-haired bluenette to see. 

“Ooo, try it on!” Levy encourages.

The blonde steps to the side before stripping out of her current attire to change. She moves in front of the screen and strikes a pose. She’s wearing a white strapless tube top and black pleated skirt that has a thick white line all along the bottom. It’s simple and cute, but most of all, it works with her voluptuous figure. 

The short-haired bluenette perks up and claps. “It’s perfect! Why didn’t you try that on in the first place?”

Lucy silently laughs along with her friend. 

“And now you need shoes,” Levy points out. 

The blonde grins. *And I already know what will work.* She retrieves a pair of simple white heels from the bottom of her closet and grabs a pair of white thigh-high socks while she’s at it. 

“Put them on so I can see the whole picture!” the short-haired bluenette encourages. 

Lucy plops down on her bed and slips into them. She stands up and twirls in front of the screen. *What do you think?*

Levy is grinning from ear to ear. “I really like it, Lu!” 

She smiles too. *Thank you.*

“So how are you going to do your hair?”

Before she can reply, the blonde’s phone goes off. She grabs it from her bed and opens the text. 

Natsu: Hey, I’m all good. It’ll take me ten minutes to get there. See ya soon, Luigi! 

Luigi? She was pretty sure she mentioned her name was Lucy at least twice. And he called her Lucy so why–

Another text pops up. 

Natsu: LUCY. I MEANT LUCY. MY PHONE WAS STUPID. AUTOCORRECT. 

The blonde smiles at the small screen and texts back. 

Lucy: I’ll see you then!

The short-haired bluenette giggles. “I think I can guess who you’re texting.”

The blonde looks at her and starts signing. *He’s leaving for the restaurant. He said it would take him ten minutes to be there.*

“Uh, Lu, it’s going to take you about the same amount of time to drive there too,” Levy points out. 

Lucy panics. *I’ll text you later!*

After a quick goodbye, the blonde shuts down her laptop and grabs her light pink purse that’s in the shape of a heart. She slips her phone inside it and grabs her car key on her way out the door, locking her house up behind her. 

All she can do is hope her car starts up this time. Lucy quickly gets into her car and turns the key in the ignition. It works. She quickly pulls her car out of her garage and heads for 8-Island, hoping that if Natsu gets there before her then he isn’t waiting long. 

Minutes down the road, the blonde looks in her review mirror and realizes her hair is still down. She didn’t do anything with it! Well, it didn’t look terrible down. Her golden locks were long and fell above her waist. Having a down-do rather than some up-do would just have to work!

Lucy takes a deep calming breath for her bundle of nerves. All she was doing was getting a late lunch with the guy who brought her car back to life. He just happened to be a cute mechanic who took the time to help her out in her time of need. No one else stepped up to the plate, but Natsu. She smiles, hoping to have a wonderful time with him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clothing note: The attires Lucy and Natsu are wearing are supposed to be what they wore in Ending 15. Just in case that helps visualize things for people!
> 
> Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

Chapter 3

Brimming over with excitement, Lucy parks her car and turns it off. She grabs her phone to text the pinkette, saying she arrived. She hasn’t heard from him since his last text and starts wondering if she should see if he’s inside or not. 

Suddenly, her car door opens without warning.

The blonde looks over and sees Natsu, holding it open for her. Oh, he cleaned up alright. And he cleaned up good. The pinkette is wearing a white shirt with sleeves to his elbows and a grey-blue open vest. His dark brown cargo pants fall to his knees and his sandals are black. Despite the nice weather, a white scale-patterned scarf is wrapped around his neck.

Natsu reaches a hand out for her. “M’lady.”

She smiles and takes it, stepping out of her car with her purse.

He closes the door and leads Lucy to the restaurant, his left arm linked with her right one. “Ya ready for this?”

The blonde nods and uses her free hand to point at him, hoping he understands what she means. 

He flashes her a grin. “I’m all fired up!” 

The pair is seated and looking over the menus when their waitress arrives. Dressed in 8-Island’s orange uniform, she’s a busty young woman with glasses. “Hi, Lucy,” Evergreen greets. 

The blonde waves at her with a smile.

“Usual?”

She nods in reply.

“Wow, I had no idea ya came here so often, Lucy,” the pinkette comments. 

The caramel-haired woman looks at him quizzically. “How do you not know your girlfriend likes coming here?”

With her cheeks on fire, the blonde uses her phone to type a message. 

Meanwhile, Natsu is flustered. “G-girlfriend? She’s not-We’re not-I’m not”-he looks at Lucy who doesn’t notice-“Err, I mean. Well. It’s not like–”

Lucy holds out her phone for Evergreen to read. 

‘He helped me with car trouble earlier. This is repayment.’

The caramel-haired woman winks at her. “Car trouble, huh?”

The blonde gives her a look. 

Evergreen laughs it off before looking back at the pinkette. “Need a drink to start off with?”

“Water,” he nods eagerly. 

“Coming right up,” the caramel-haired woman says before walking away. 

Lucy types a message and shows Natsu the screen. 

‘I’m so very sorry about that. Normally I’m here alone.’

“You’re a regular who comes here alone?”

She types again. ‘It’s fine. Sometimes I come here with friends.’

The pinkette grins. “And now ya got me!” His generic ringtone sounds off. “I’m sorry about this,” he says, reaching for it in his pocket. 

Lucy shrugs it off. 

Natsu checks the screen. “Ugh, I gotta answer this. I’ll make it quick. I promise.” Then he answers the call and stands to walk away. “Oi, whatcha want, Lug Nuts?”

The blonde silently chuckles to herself. Lug Nuts. That’s a nickname she hasn’t heard before. 

Because Evergreen makes her favorite mute regular a priority, she swings by with the lemonade and water soon. “Did you scare him off?”

Lucy holds her phone up to her ear to mimic what he’s doing.

“If he’s not here by the time I get back, he’s going to get an earful from me.” Without another word, the caramel-haired woman saunters away to tend to her duties. 

The blonde casually sips her drink and checks her phone while she waits. She hears footsteps approach her and looks up to see an unfamiliar face. 

The guy appears to be around her age. He has short kept, orange hair and blue tinted glasses. “I couldn’t help but notice you were sitting all alone over here,” the stranger begins.

Being mute has setbacks like this. Lucy just can’t straight up tell him she’s eating with someone and isn’t interested. She points to the glass of water, hoping he gets it. 

The stranger looks hopeful. “Oh, you want me to join you?”

She shakes her head and decides to open up her phone’s note app and begins typing.

A flirtatious grin appears on the orange-haired guy’s face. “Silent type, huh? Cute.”

Her eyes nearly roll right out of her head. 

Bumping into the stranger with enough force to make him step forward, the pinkette slides into his spot at the booth. He looks at the blonde. “Sorry about, babe. Had to take that phone call.” 

So they were fake dating now. The blonde could live with that. 

The stranger looks at her. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“She shouldn’t hafta waste her breath on ya,” Natsu replies, and takes a sip of his water. 

The orange-haired guy looks offended. “Excuse me?”

“There are plenty of other fish in the sea so get to fishing.” He grins at Lucy. “This catch is mine.”

She finds herself blushing. He can definitely be smooth with words when he wants to be. 

Without another word, the stranger walks away, having already spotted a group of girls that caught his attention.

“I didn’t mean to abandon you like that!” the pinkette blurts. 

The blonde silently giggles and waves it away. Then she points at the menu across from him. 

“Oh, right.” He picks it up to look it over, peeking at Lucy. “So the phone call I had was kinda interesting…”

She types on her phone and before showing him the screen. 

‘How so?’

“My cousin’s girlfriend wouldn’t leave him alone until he talked to me.”

‘Was it that interesting?’

“She wanted him to tell me to not screw this up.”

‘That’s weird a message.’

Natsu shows off a toothy grin. “It gets weirder. You three know each other.”

The blonde is surprised. ‘Oh. What are their names?’

“The girl is Levy McGarden a–”

Lucy chokes on her drink and becomes a sputtering mess. She wasn’t expecting that.

“Lucy?”

She grabs a napkin and dabs it over her mouth. She crumples it aside and tosses it on the table before grabbing her phone and typing, letting the pinkette see the screen.

‘Is Gajeel Redfox her boyfriend?’

“Yeah.”

‘Levy is my best friend. I know Gajeel because she’s dating him. How do you know them?’

“His dad and my dad are best friends. He’s adopted too so we can relate. Lug Nuts is like a cousin to me. It’s the easiest way to describe how we know each other.”

Lucy notices what he said and types some more. 

‘You’re adopted?’

“Yeah. Igneel adopted me when I was a baby. We’re really close! I’m also close to Uncle Atlas. He’s Igneel’s younger brother. The two of them own the mechanic shop I work at. The place is like a home away from home to me.”

The blonde writes about herself so Natsu isn’t the only one putting himself out there.

‘My mother, Layla, passed away when I was a child. Jude, my father, and I are currently estranged. I moved out at eighteen and published my first novel at twenty. Now I write for a living.”

“Whoa, you’re an author? Cool! How old are you? I’m twenty-three.”

‘Twenty-two.’

The pinkette grins. “Ha, I’m older!” 

Lucy rolls her eyes. 

Evergreen returns to their table. “Ready to order now?”

xxx

The pair leaves the restaurant after they finish eating. Natsu ended up paying for it, even though the blonde insisted because it was her way of treating him. 

“Did you enjoy yourself?” the pinkette asks as they walk to their cars. 

Lucy nods eagerly. 

“Good. I did too.” Then he smiles. “I hope we can go on more dates like that.”

Her face flushes while her heart skips a beat. Date?! She had no clue he thought of it that way! The blonde fumbles for her phone with her right hand, but Natsu grabs it with his left. He even laces his fingers through hers. 

“Ya can let me know whatcha wanna say when we get to your car,” he says. “No texting and walking while you’re in a parking lot.”

Up ahead, Lucy notices his familiar red jeep is parked behind her car. Now it makes sense how he was able to get to her car so quickly after she arrived. They stop by her driver’s side door and she takes out her phone to type. 

‘I hope we can go on more dates too.’

The pinkette chuckles. “I guess I can let Gajeel and Levy know I didn’t screw things up.”

She smiles and nods in agreement. 

Natsu opens the car door for her. “M’lady.”

The blonde stands on her tiptoes to peck his right cheek. 

Now it’s the pinkette’s turn to blush. 

She gets in her car and rolls down her window. 

He crouches down so he’s level with her. “Text me when ya get home?”

She nods before pointing to her phone and then at Natsu. 

“Yeah, I’ll text too. No worries.”

Now the two are smiling at each other for no reason. 

“Sooo I’ll text ya later,” the pinkette says. 

Lucy nods and waves goodbye as he walks back to his jeep. She faces forward and smiles like an idiot. A date. She was on a date! And more dates were probably lined up for her in the near future!


	4. Chapter 4

A week later, the blonde is on her third date with Natsu. This time, it’s a double date with Levy and Gajeel. The guys picked a place called Fairy Tail, which is a bowling alley, laser tag, and mini arcade kind of joint. 

The group just finished their second round of laser tag and left the arena to check the scores of everyone. Of course, the two guys are at the top with the highest amount of points. 

“Ha, in your face, Lug Nuts!” the pinkette shouts victoriously, a fist in the air. 

The big guy with silver piercings studded in his face crosses his arms and he grunts. “Don’t let it inflate your big head. Ya only beat me by a few hundred points. Besides, I won the last round.”

*Are they always this competitive?* Lucy signs to her petite friend. 

She giggles. *From what I’ve seen.*

The blonde looks back at the screen to find the name her laser gun was programmed with. She spots herself towards the bottom due to her points. Much to her surprise, she notices she has the highest accuracy rate at thirty-three percent. The other fourteen competitors ranged from three percent to twenty-two. 

Lucy looks at the short-haired bluenette with excitement. *I have the highest accuracy!*

She grins. “Hey, guys, Lu says she has the highest accuracy.” 

All three of them check the screen. 

“Thirty-three?” The black-haired guy whistles. “Not bad, Bunny Girl.”

Natsu beams with pride. “That’s my girl!” 

The blonde blushes. The two of them weren’t official. Not yet at least. She felt like they were heading in that direction hopefully. 

“C’mon,” Gajeel says. “Let’s go back to our table.”

The four head over to the table they claimed with the pizza and drinks they left unattended while they were in their latest laser tag match. 

Lucy taps Levy on the shoulder to get her attention. *I’m going to go to the bathroom.*

*Do you want me to go with you?* she signs back. 

*I’ll be fine.* Then she heads to the left for the restroom. 

“Where are ya going, Luce?” the pinkette asks, noticing she’s not heading towards the table. 

“Bathroom,” Levy replies for her. 

“Will she be fine on her own?” the black-haired guy asks. 

“Lu’s tough. Besides, no one should bother her.”

Her friends were always wary if she went somewhere alone. If she ran into trouble, she couldn’t talk. She has to rely on her phone and the other person to be able to read English. She’s lucky when she has someone to translate for her. But the blonde likes being independent and not feeling like a damsel in distress. 

She makes it to the bathroom no problem. Just as she’s leaving, a guy rounds the corner and bumps into her. 

“I’m terribly sorry,” he apologizes.

Oh no. Lucy recognizes the orange-haired guy with ease. He was the one who tried flirting with her at 8-Island.

His face light up with recognition. “It’s you. You’re an absolute vision for my lowly eyes to behold.”

His flirting will get him nowhere. She already has a crush and he’s much cuter.

“I didn’t properly introduce myself. I’m Loke. Loke Regulus. What is your name, princess?”

Lucy wouldn’t even tell him her name if she could talk. 

The orange-haired guy chuckles. “There’s no need for you to be shy. I don’t bite.” He winks. “Much.” 

She rolls her eyes and takes out her phone to begin typing a message. 

“Oh, you want to trade phone numbers? Good idea.” Loke enthusiastically whips out his own phone. 

The blonde holds out her phone for him to read the two words. 

‘Not interested.’

“Not interested? How is it possible for a beautiful girl such as yourself to not be interested in the one and only Loke Regulus?”

She goes with the first thought that crosses her mind. 

‘I have a boyfriend.’

The orange-haired guy looks absolutely crushed. “It appears I am too late to be the one for you.” Then his mood changes instantly into an optimistic one. “But perhaps it’s not too late for me to win your heart over–”

A right hand appears on his right shoulder in a vice like grip. “It’s definitely too late,” Natsu growls. 

Loke moves aside and turns to face the pinkette. His face now looks paler than it was seconds ago. “O-oh. It’s you.” He quickly glances at Lucy. “I was just keeping her company–”

“She doesn’t need ya when she’s got me,” Natsu points out, crossing his arms over his puffed out chest.

The orange-haired guy pretends to look at a watch on his wrist and speaks quickly. “Look at that. I’ve got to go. Bye.” He spins on his heels and rushes into the restroom. 

The pinkette rolls his dark green eyes and looks at the blonde. “Ya good?”

She nods and types on her phone before showing him her screen. 

‘How did you know?’

“My Natsu sense was tingling.”

‘Natsu sense?’

“It’s a thing,” he says somewhat defensively before jerking his head back towards their friends. “Wanna head back?”

Lucy nods.

So the two walk together and find the couple in lip-locking action.

A sly grin forms on the pinkette’s lips and he cups both of his hands over his mouth. “Get a room!” 

The pair jumps apart in their seats, both equally frazzled. 

“At least I have a girl I can make moves on!” Gajeel taunts. 

“Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?” Natsu demands. 

The short-haired bluenette whacks her boyfriend’s chest. “Be nice.” 

“Gihi, I’m just messing with him, Shrimp.”

The blonde waits until Levy makes eye contact with her before she starts signing. *I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would do that.*

*I’m sure Gajeel would have done the same if he caught Natsu and you kissing.*

Lucy’s face heats up. *Not funny!*

The short-haired bluenette laughs. *It’s not like they know what we’re saying.*

*But still!*

“Ya okay, Luce?” the pinkette asks, noticing her distress. 

*Fine. I’m fine. Totally fine.*

He looks at Levy for help. 

“She’s fine,” she translates, and then signs. *She really likes you though!*

The blonde tries getting control of her flushed face. *Stop it!*

Natsu looks at the black-haired guy. “Do ya know what’s going on?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know a lick of sign language so I’m lost.”

“Same here…”

The short-haired bluenette giggles. “It’s just fun to mess with Lu sometimes when no one else knows what we’re signing.”

Lucy rolls her eyes. *Not really.*

“She doesn’t agree with me,” Levy explains. 

*Of course I don’t.*

Gajeel claps his hands together. “So who’s up for another round?”

“We still hafta wait for the current group to finish up,” the pinkette points out. 

“I meant after them, dumbass.” 

Natsu glares at him. “Grrr, fight me, Lug Nuts!” 

*No fighting,* the blonde signs just as the short-haired bluenette says, “No fighting.”

This was another fight the girls had to stop before it started. They last track after the ninth time they had to interrupt. If they didn’t interfere, the guys would probably cause some damage to Fairy Tail. 

*Let’s just sit down and wait,* Lucy signs. 

“Sitting and waiting sounds like a good idea, Lu,” Levy comments.

So the blonde and pinkette sit down as well. She picks up one of the remaining pieces of pizza and starts eating it. She glances at Natsu with a questioning look when she notices him staring. 

“Ya got something…” Then he picks up a napkin and wipes the sauce off the edge of her mouth. 

“Get a room,” the black-haired guy echoes.

The duo both blushes and don’t make eye contact with one another. 

The short-haired bluenette whacks her boyfriend’s chest yet again. “Didn’t I say be nice not too long ago?” 

He grins. “It’s worth messing with him if all you’re gonna do is hit me.”

So she whacks him once more, but this time with a little more force. “And that was for Lu.”

Lucy silently laughs and signs, *Thank you.*

*You’re welcome* her petite friend signs back. 

The blonde looks at the three people around her with a smile. She feels lucky to have them involved in her life. Natsu may be the newest addition, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.


	5. Chapter 5

Around two o’clock the next day, the blonde is already exhausted. She’s been writing for hours to make the approaching deadline for her editor. She’s normally on top of things, but because of a certain pinkette, she’s been distracted recently. Lucy can only hope that her editor doesn’t find out. The scarlet-haired woman could become quite a scary force when she needed to. 

Leaning back in her seat, she stretches her arms high above her head. The blonde kicks her feet out and curls her toes, cracking some of them. She rolls her chair back and stands up to walk around the small room that’s her office.

The entire space is dedicated to her work and the only time she’s in here is to write. Her desk is pushed up against a wall and is clean and organized. The second monitor and her laptop are in the center. Off to the right, Lucy’s music player is hooked up to speakers and Lindsey Stirling songs are playing on a loop. The music helps her focus and feel not so alone in the quiet house. A giant pink beanbag is also in the room. The blonde likes using it when she’s trying to think. Plus, it’s way more comfortable than her chair on wheels. 

After walking in a couple of circles, Lucy heads for her kitchen. She grabs a bottle of flavored water from the fridge and returns to her office. She enters the room and sits back down at her desk, feeling determined. 

Her blinking phone catches her attention so she grabs it to check. She has a text message. 

Natsu: Are you busy the day after tomorrow??

Lucy: I don’t think so… Why do you ask? O-o

Natsu: Wanna go on a date? :D

The blonde’s heart swells with happiness, knowing she’d be squealing if she could. So she settles with tapping her bare feet against the wooden floor with excitement. She takes a moment before replying so she’s calm. 

Lucy: Sure! :)

Natsu: Woooooo!!

Her deadline suddenly pops up in her mind and she nearly rolls her eyes. The blonde planned on writing until then to meet it so she wouldn’t meet the wrath of her editor. She frowns as she types. 

Lucy: I just remembered! My deadline is due that day D:

Lucy: Does tomorrow work??

Natsu: I have work :/

Lucy: Awww :c

She takes the time to think for a moment. 

Lucy: Maaaybe I can try making it work out!

Lucy: I’ll see how much writing I get done today and tomorrow. Does that sound good?

Natsu: Yeah, I’m all fired up! :D

Lucy: Yaaay ^-^

Lucy: Did you have a certain place in mind? O-o

Natsu: La Chatelaine sound good?

The blonde has heard of the place, but has never been there. Apparently it’s a quaint bistro with a lovely theme and amazing food. 

Lucy: Sure :)

Natsu: Does 2 work for ya?

Lucy: I’ll meet you there!

Natsu: Sweet!

Natsu: Gotta go! Can’t have Igneel or Atlas catch me on my phone!

Natsu: Byeeeeee

Natsu: Luceeeeeeeeeeee

The blonde silently laughs at the messages. He never fails to not amuse her. It must be a gift of his. 

With new encouragement, Lucy becomes even more determined to finish even faster. 

The blonde takes the cap off the bottle and takes a swig before setting down on her desk. She looks at the monitor that has the current chapter she’s working on. She’s nearing the end and she wants it to be better than the volumes that came before it. This novel is the last one to the series so it’s important to her. 

Lucy thinks of where she could take this novel. Certain things still need wrapped up before she can finish. She ponders her options for a moment. 

She could go for a happy ending, but on the other side of the coin, she could also change things up. Her readers won’t expect that since it’s not her style. A cliffhanger would be too cruel though and the blonde wouldn’t feel right doing that. 

Lucy pushes her chair back and stands to walk over to her beanbag that’s seven feet long. She plops down and sprawls across it, almost being swallowed up by the furniture. She stares up at the white ceiling above her and huffs. 

Oh, maybe she could add a twist when her readers would least expect it! But what? The majority of loose ends were already tied. She could kill off a character for the sake of the novel… 

Ugh, writer’s block was no fun. 

The blonde finds her mind drifting to a cute mechanic with dark green eyes. She thinks about his signature smile and adorable laughter. She likes enjoys his company and things just seemed to be more fun when he around. The pinkette is practically everything she’s wanted for her future boyfriend and maybe even more! Best of all, he doesn’t treat her differently because she’s mute. Some people have taken pity on her, but not once has Natsu looked at her that way. Not ever. 

Lucy thinks about the date they may have coming up. She hopes it happens. Then she realizes she’s the one who can make it happen! So the blonde sits up and looks at her laptop from across the room. She can do this. She can finish her writing and beat her deadline. 

She stands up and walks back over to her chair. Maybe Lucy should have her editor bribe her with seeing her favorite pinkette. That would probably do the trick!


	6. Chapter 6

The struggle is real. It is so real for Lucy. She’s feeling it now more than ever. She stayed up late the night before to keep working on her novel. The blonde’s closer than ever to finishing it, but she isn’t there. Not yet at least. 

It’s the middle of the afternoon and she’s sitting in front of her monitors once again. Her novel is missing something and she can feel it big time. She just isn’t sure what it is exactly. It’s like her case of writer’s block is worse than yesterday!

So the blonde packs up her laptop and slides it into her computer bag. She slips her phone into a back pocket of her short jean shorts and grabs her car key on her way out the door, locking her house up behind her.

xxx

Lucy turns off her MINI Cooper in the Blue Pegasus parking lot and hops out, taking her computer bag with her. It’s a popular coffeehouse and bakery franchise and she likes writing in the atmosphere. In her opinion, they serve the best hot chocolate and she orders it year-round. The blonde especially enjoys it while she’s writing and needs some inspiration. 

Surprise washes over her at the sight she sees and Lucy actually halts dead in her tracks. She just stops just short of the sidewalk that leads into the outdoor area.

A familiar pinkette is sitting in the patio at a table with a girl. She’s pretty and has striking white hair in a short style. The duo seems to be enjoying each other’s company and their drinks. 

The blonde would be fine with Natsu hanging out with someone else. But this hits her hard because yesterday he said he’d be at work today. That’s why they couldn’t move their date up a day. 

“Alright, so what now?” the white-haired girl asks. 

“I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?”

Any positive emotions Lucy was feeling towards the pinkette vanish in an instant. Her heart misses a beat. She feels like a bucket of cold water was dumped on her. 

The white-haired girl smiles wide. “Aww!” 

Natsu blushes. “Didn’t I say no laughing at me, Lisanna?”

“But it’s adorable!” she laughs. 

“I ain’t adorable.” He huffs and folds his arms across his chest. Then he looks at her with hopeful eyes. “Well… ?”

The blonde turns on her heels and briskly walks away, keeping her head low. She doesn’t want to see or hear what happens next between the pair. This can’t be happening. She thought things were going well for her and the pinkette. Lucy feels blindsided. There was no way she could have seen this coming at all.

Natsu likes someone else. And he confessed to her too!

The blonde feels like an absolute idiot as she gets back into her car and starts it up. She sniffles and feels the lump in the back of her throat, an early sign she’ll cry. Her mind races as she begins her drive right back to her home. She fights back the bitter tears that threaten to sting and hurt. 

If the pinkette had a date with someone else then why didn’t he just say that in the first place? He didn’t have to lie about where he was going to be to cover it up. 

A thought pops up out of nowhere. Maybe he did lie with intentions. Maybe Natsu was going behind her back with this other girl, Lisanna. He was tricking Lucy! Maybe he’s been tricking her all along. Perhaps he was just friendly towards her when they first met because a car was involved. Or maybe he went on a pity late lunch with her because she was mute. 

The blonde wipes away her fallen tears and focuses on driving the rest of the way. As soon as she arrives at her house, she drops her computer bag on her desk and paces around the layout of her home. She runs her fingers through her golden hair, tangling them in her locks.

Then Lucy stops in the middle of her living room and bursts into tears, finally coming undone. She wraps her arms around herself protectively, but it’s too late to shield herself from this hurt. Her silent wails go unheard for no one around to hear. 

xxx

By the time the blonde stops crying, her eyes are red and puffy. She feels miserable all the way down to her toes. She’s currently curled up in a ball on her bed, wrapped in her favorite soft blue blanket. 

She takes out her phone and looks at the dark screen. Levy is on a date with Gajeel so she can’t talk to her about what’s happened. A face pops up in her mind and she starts texting him. 

Lucy: Are you free for a bit to talk? I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy, but Levy isn’t available and I want someone to talk to. 

Gray: Yeah. I always have time to talk to you. What’s up, sis?

The blonde smiles down at her phone. Gray Fullbuster is her honorary older brother. They met in high school their freshman year and grew extremely close. Like their petite friend, Gray learned sign language for her. He didn’t want the bluenette translating all the time. Now Levy may have more knowledge, but Gray is well off with what he knows. Every now and then a word escapes him, but Lucy always helps him through. 

Lucy: So a thing happened…

Gray: You home?

Lucy: Yes. 

Gray: Give me 15.

With that, he doesn’t send another text. 

The blonde knows when he says fifteen minutes then it’ll be fifteen minutes before he arrives. They only live ten minutes apart from one another so maybe he needed the extra five to get dressed. Gray has an uncanny stripping habit so she wouldn’t be surprised if he needed to dress before he showed up. Of course, she also wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up shirtless at her door or stripped at her house later.


	7. Chapter 7

{Warning: much cursing ahead!!!}

“THAT SON OF A BITCH!” Gray roars with fury. He jumps up onto his feet from the couch and paces around the living room. Steam is practically seething from him. “THAT NO GOOD, DIRTY BASTARD!”

The blonde knew this was going to happen. The dark-haired guy was already aware she had a crush. She was smart enough from the beginning to not give out many details about who she had a crush on. Lucy didn’t want him going into “older protective brother mode” and hunting Natsu down to threaten him. Or even scare him away if he felt something was off.

She casually sips from the large hot chocolate that Gray bought her from Blue Pegasus. He used the five minutes to swing by and get her some, knowing it’s her all-time favorite drink. The fact he thought to do it in the first place makes her feel better than the warm liquid. 

“I’M GOING TO TEACH HIM A DAMN LESSON THAT HE NEVER EVER SHOULD HAVE FUCKING MESSED WITH MY SISTER!” His shirt is nowhere to be seen now. His muscular torso is revealed and the x-shaped scar on the right side of his lower abdomen is viewable. The silver sword necklace with a stone set in it the dark-haired guy always wears is in sight too. He never takes it off because the blonde got it for him as a birthday gift. 

Gray spins and faces her, taking a deep calming breath. And then another one. “I’m going to fucking murder him. I swear.”

*That’s not the right answer,* Lucy scolds. 

“It’s still an answer.”

She rolls her eyes. 

He runs a hand through his spiky locks, flashing the scar on his forehead above his left eye that his bangs normally cover. The silver metal bracelet around his right wrist jingles when he does so. That’s another piece of jewelry the dark-haired guy never takes off because it was a Christmas gift from the blonde. 

Gray studies the puffy-eyed girl carefully with his pair dark blue eyes. “I will beat the living shit out of him if you tell me who he is.”

She seals her lips with fingers and throws away the key. 

“I’m serious.”

*That’s why I won’t tell you his name.*

He plops back down on the couch next to her, a smirk forming on his lips. “You were smart from the start not to tell me.”

*I would have had you two meet if we had become serious enough. You know that.*

The dark-haired guy nods.

Silence falls over the two before he breaks it with a question. “So what now?”

Lucy stares down at her cup of hot chocolate for a moment while she thinks. She finally looks at him and holds the cup in her lap to sign, *I keep doing what I’ve done. Work on work and live my life.*

“And have some fun along the way,” he adds, knowing she would sign that next.

*Exactly.*

“I don’t want you moping around because of this damn fucker, okay? He doesn’t deserve you even thinking about him anymore. Because if he doesn’t think you’re important enough, then he clearly isn’t important enough for you.”

The blonde softly smiles at his words. She’s thankful to have him in her life because of moments like this. *Thank you.*

Gray smiles back and signs, *You’re welcome.*

She sets down her cup on the nearby table and hugs his torso tightly. He returns the embrace, making her feel safe. Some people who know the dark-haired guy think he can be cold, but when it comes to Lucy, he has a giant soft spot for her. 

They break apart and the blonde wipes away a small tear forming. 

Worry flashes across Gray’s face. “Ah, shit. I’m sorry. Did I make you cry now?”

She shakes her head and starts signing. *These are good tears. Trust me.*

He grins. “I trust you, sis.”

*I trust you too, bro.*

xxx

Hours later, the dark-haired guy leaves once he knows the blonde is feeling better than the state he first saw her in. She’s improved much since they started talking. Now Lucy is in her office and writing, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. It’s like they can’t keep up with her thought process. 

Due to recent events, she’s inspired and knows exactly how she wants to end her novel. The male love interest is going to betray the female main character and her friends. Erik helps the evil doer for personal reasons he’s had from the very start since the first volume. That’s why he wanted Kinana close to him. It made tricking her easier after she let her guard down around him. Trusting him was a mistake. 

This twist worked in the blonde’s favor because everything could come together this way. She would have a cleaning ending for the series.

She types the last word and sits back in her chair to admire her work. Lucy’s happy with it. It certainly isn’t the way she imagined how her novel would end, but she doesn’t want to change it. The blonde glances at the clock in the corner of the second monitor. It’s after seven o’clock. 

She leans forward and opens a new browser. Lucy uploads what needs to be uploaded in an email and sends all of it to her editor. She’s a day early so the scarlet-haired woman should be pleased. 

After it sends, the blonde power downs her laptop and turns off her music. Taking her phone with her, she leaves her office and closes the door behind her. She wants to relax and knows one way that’ll work.

While a packet of movie theater flavored popcorn with extra butter is spinning around in her microwave, Lucy starts up her TV. Last Christmas, her best friend and brother pitched in together to get her a boxed set of a popular television series. She couldn’t believe they got her Blu-ray collection of all the released seasons of Supernatural.

With a bowl of hot popcorn in her hands, the blonde returns to her couch and presses play. She’s rewatching the series yet again because she’s almost addicted to it. To get even in more of a mood to watch her two favorite idiots, she cuddles up with her blanket. Things are just right. 

Lucy’s phone goes off, signaling someone has texted her. She grabs her phone to check it. 

Gray: Enjoying your evening?

Lucy: Watching Supernatural again :D

Gray: Isn’t that like your fifth time now??

Lucy: Annnd??? :P

Lucy: I also finished writing! ^-^

Gray: Good job, sis!!

Lucy: Thanks :)

After he doesn’t text anything else, she sets her phone down beside her. She turns her attention to the opening scene.

Just as Dean pops up on the screen, the blonde’s phone sounds off again. She opens the text and her heart feels like it’s being squeezed. 

Natsu: Heeey, Luceee! I missed texting ya today, but I hope writing is going awesome for ya! Don’t stay up too late though! Can’t have ya tired on our date tomorrow! :D

Lucy puts her phone face down and turns the volume up on her TV.


	8. Chapter 8

{Warning: more cursing ahead!!!}

Gray knew the blonde would be thinking about date as soon as she woke up. So he invited her over to his house so keep her mind occupied. Currently, she’s kicking his butt at Mario Kart and he isn’t going easy on her. 

Just before he crosses the finish line to claim first place, Lucy hits him with a shell and speeds past him. 

His dark blue eyes grow wide with surprise. “What? What?!” He turns to look at her with disbelief. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?”

The blonde merely does a little victory dance while sitting down on the couch. 

The rounds are all finished and she’s declared the winner with the dark-haired guy in second place. He groans and tosses his Wii wheel to the side while he stands up. “I need a drink. You?”

*Surprise me,* she signs. 

Dragging his feet in defeat, Gray makes his way to the kitchen while grumbling under his breath. 

Just as Lucy leans over to grab the player one wheel, her phone goes off. She scooches forward to look at the screen, wondering why anyone would be calling her. 

His name is on the screen. He’s the one calling her. 

What’s the point of him calling anyways? It’s not like she could talk to him. Besides, he has a girlfriend he could be talking to. 

The blonde’s phone rings until voicemail kicks in. Not too much later, her phone notifies her there’s a new voicemail. 

She slowly reaches for it and types in her voicemail password to hear it. Curiosity gets the better of her and she finds herself listening to Natsu’s recorded voice.

“Hiya, Luce. It’s almost fifteen minutes after we said we’d meet. I’m just calling to check up on ya.” He pauses. “Wooooow. I’m stupid. Uh, I guess it was pointless of me calling ya… I’ll try texting. I hope things are okay. Bye, Luce!” 

That’s right. She was supposed to go on a date with him. The dark-haired guy was doing his best to distract her. He invited her over when she should have been getting ready-She shakes her head. It doesn’t matter now. The pinkette has a girlfriend. A date with him would be meaningless. 

“Don’t think I won’t take your phone from you,” Gray says as he returns to the room with their drinks. His midnight blue, button-up shirt is gone, but he’s still wearing is black undershirt for now. He sets the drinks down on the table and sits down.

She looks at him to sign, *It’s not like I answered when he called.*

“He actually called?” He snorts. “What a dumbass.”

Lucy’s phone goes off from a text she receives. She looks down at the screen, but the dark-haired guy snatches it away from her. He quickly stuffs it in his pocket and says, “I warned you.”

*I never did tell him I wasn’t going to show up.*

“He’ll get the message you stood him up sooner or later.”

So the blonde grabs her drink and takes a sip. It’s her favorite kind of flavored water with ice. Gray always has bottles in the fridge for her whenever she comes over. 

The dark-haired guy grabs his wheel. “Alright. So this time I’m going to win.”

She rolls her eyes dramatically. *I doubt it.*

Gray smirks. “We’ll let the game decide that.”

*You’re on!*

Lucy’s phone goes off. She can probably guess who texted her. 

“You’re not getting it,” the dark-haired guy says without even looking at her. But then he does in case she signs. 

Now that he’s paying attention to her, she uses her hands to talk. *But what if it’s Levy?*

“She can wait.”

The blonde puffs her cheeks out. *No fair.*

Gray looks away while he talks, avoiding eye contact because he’s feeling embarrassed at what he’s about to say. “I just don’t want you giving that bastard any more of your time. He thought you weren’t worth it. He’s wrong and may never know it. His loss. But that fucker will be missing out on somebody as wonderful as you. He’ll never know what he could have had and that’s his loss. It’s own damn fault for being such an asshole.”

The dark-haired guy doesn’t know how sweet his words are because he’s not looking at Lucy. He doesn’t notice that she’s getting ready to cry happy tears. 

“From what I could tell, he made you happy,” he continues. “You would light up and smile when you talked about him. And I know you had fun keeping his identity from me.” He briefly pauses for a moment. “I want you to be happy again. It’s weird seeing you not happy. It’s wrong.”

The blonde scooches closer to her brother and hugs him tightly. She buries her face in his shirt to hide her tears. 

Gray hugs her back, not saying another word while he holds her.

x-X-x

Nearly two hours later, the duo are watching Supernatural, picking up where Lucy left off. This is a cool down period for them. They played grueling matches of Super Smash Bros. Brawl after Mario Kart. The dark-haired guy was victorious nearly every match. Up until now, the blonde’s phone has multiple unread texts on it, but the two acts like they haven’t heard it go off. 

A loud car door slamming shut draws Lucy’s attention away from the TV. She looks at Gray for an explanation.

“Probably the neighbors,” he comments. “I’ve told them they need to knock it off. It sucks when they do it while I’m trying to sleep.”

The front door bursts open and an angry pinkette strides inside. He practically has a dark aura emanating from his body. His dark green eyes land on the blonde, looking at her with hurt. Then they flicker over to Gray and narrow. 

The dark-haired guy quickly pauses the show and jumps to his feet to race over to Natsu. “What’s going on, man?”

Without warning, the pinkette sucker punches Gray right in the jaw. “WHAT THE FUCK?!”


	9. Chapter 9

{Warning: some cursing ahead!!!}

The dark-haired guy falls back onto his butt and stares up at Natsu with utter shock. 

The blonde is surprised Gray was knocked down so easily. He teaches self defense lessons with his father at a studio and is a total pro. He’s even taught Lucy so she could handle herself if he wasn’t around to help. She reasons the only reason he’s on the ground is because dark-haired guy had his guard down when the pinkette showed up unexpectedly. 

Gray snaps back to his senses and glares. “The fuck is wrong with you, Dragneel?”

The blonde knows she never told him Natsu’s first or last name. That was personal information he could have tracked the pinkette down with. The blonde puts things together easily: the two know each other somehow. 

Natsu forms fists like he’s going to pummel something or someone. “I have been waiting for Lucy since two o’clock! That was two hours ago! At first I thought she was just late because normally she’s on time or even early! Then I thought something had happened to her when she wouldn’t answer her phone or respond to any of the nine texts I sent her!” The pinkette’s chest is heaving from talking and the words only come out faster from his mouth. “Not too long ago I got the idea she stood me up for some reason! For whatever kinda reason she had! So I came here to talk to ya about things ONLY TO FIND SHE’S HERE WITH YA! I RECOGNIZED HER CAR OUTSIDE AND COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!”

“She can be here if she wants to be here! She’s my s–” The dark-haired guy stops speaking. Then he stands up and faces the blonde. He opens his mouth to speak, but gets cut off. 

Natsu puts him in a tight headlock. “I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS, YA TRAITOR!”

With ease, Gray flips his assailant over his shoulder and throws him onto the wooden floor. The pinkette lands on his back and gulps for air, having had the wind knocked out of him. The dark-haired guy looks at Lucy who is petrified on the couch. “Shit. I’m sorry, Lucy.”

Her brown eyes flicker between her brother and former crush. She’s not really sure what to do. 

Natsu forces himself to sit up and he looks at the blonde sadly. “Why are ya here… ? Why weren’t ya with me… ?”

She hears the pain in his voice. Lucy isn’t sure why he’s acting like she’s the one who betrayed him. He’s the one who asked a girl out one day and thought he could still take her out on a date the very next day. 

“Did I do something wrong, Luce?” Natsu adds. 

Her hear twists. He was the first and only person to call her that. It made her happy at first, but now she despises it. Now things are different. 

She reaches for her phone, only to realize the dark-haired guy still has it. So she settles with standing and signing. *I will not go on a date with guys who already have a girlfriend.*

The pinkette looks at Gray for help. “Did ya catch any of that?”

“She won’t go on a date with a guy who already has a girlfriend,” he translates. 

Natsu looks surprised and jumps to his feet. “But I don’t have a girlfriend!” 

Lucy is beyond vexed that he’s lying straight to her face. *Tell that to the girl I saw you with yesterday! I heard you confess that you like her! And you asked her to be your girlfriend!*

“She saw you were at Blue Pegasus with a chick yesterday,” the dark-haired guy begins. “She saw you confess and ask her to be your girlfriend.” 

The pinkette blinks. “That was Lisanna and she was helping me out.”

Gray rolls his eyes. “Why couldn’t you just ask Lucy, dumbass? Did you really need Lisanna to practice with?”

“Like I said, she was helping me out!” he counters. 

“With what? All you had to do was just ask Lucy. That’s it! Easy as that!” 

A blush tints his cheeks. “I wanted to ask her in a special way!” 

The dark-haired guy looks incredulous. “Special?”

“Yeah. Special.” Natsu walks over to the blonde and stands in front of her. “I think I practiced enough so it shouldn’t be too horrible…” Then he raises his hands and uses them to sign, *I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?*

Lucy’s hands cover her gaping mouth. She’s completely astonished. 

“Did I screw things up?” Then the pinkette gasps. “Did I sign something wrong?!”

Leaving her hands where they are, the blonde nods, answering his first question.

Natsu grins from ear to ear. “Yes?”

To make sure he understands, Lucy uses one hand to sign with to reconfirm it. *Yes.*

The pinkette laughs and hugs her tightly. He smooches the top of her golden head before nuzzling it.

The blonde is bubbling with happiness. Natsu had someone teaching him just so he could ask her something in sign language. It was special. Extremely special. And she was the one he wanted to be with. 

The duo leans back to look at each other. 

“Sorry for the confusion,” the pinkette says sheepishly.

She merely shrugs since her arms are preoccupied. Then it hits Lucy they aren’t alone. She looks past Natsu for her brother. 

The dark-haired guy is actually nowhere to be seen. He slipped away without either of the two realizing it. 

“What’s wrong?” The pinkette looks over his shoulder. “Hey, where’d Ice Princess go?”

“If you two want, I can watch everything that happens,” he says, his voice coming from the kitchen. 

“I agree.” Natsu says, and then smirks. “We don’t need him to see us make out and–”

“THAT’S MY SISTER!” Gray hollers, storming into the room. Now is black tee is nowhere to be seen. 

“Sister?” The pinkette looks back and forth between the two. “But you’re too ugly to be her brother.” 

The blonde silently laughs at his statement.

On the other hand, the dark-haired guy rolls his eyes and folds his arms across his bare chest. “We’re very close.” 

Natsu hugs Lucy closer to him. “Well, we’re dating now so I think we’re closer.”

“I’ve known her longer than you.”

The blonde rolls her eyes and pulls away from the pinkette to sign. *This is ridiculous.*

“This is what?” Natsu asks. 

Lucy arches an eyebrow at him. *How much sign language do you know?*

“Uh, wait. I got this.” He thinks for a moment before using his hands. *I want to learn sign language. I know a little bit.*

The blonde melts a little and can’t stop the smiling forming on her lips. 

“Who’s been teaching you?” Gray asks. “This Lisanna person?”

“Duh. Lisanna teaches sign language classes.”

“Why didn’t you ask Levy?” the dark-haired guy questions. “She’s been friends with Lucy even longer than me. I’m sure she would have helped you out.”

The pinkette chuckles. “She wouldn’t have been able to keep it a secret. She woulda told Luce right away.”

Lucy nods in agreement, knowing how her best friend would have reacted. 

“Lisanna doesn’t know Luce so I didn’t hafta worry about her telling her. It all worked out really.” Natsu frowns slightly. “Except for the part where Luce found us at Blue Pegasus…”

*Why did you tell me you had work?* the blonde asks. *It would have been fine if you told me you were meeting a friend.*

“Why didn’t you tell her you were meeting with a friend in the first place?” Gray asks. 

The pinkette scratches the back of his head. “I, uh, panicked. Really, I did. I knew I couldn’t tell ya I was meeting with a friend to learn sign language. That would ruin the surprise. I knew I had work before meeting Lisanna so I went with that. It was kinda like the truth…”

The dark-haired guy groans and facepalms. “I get that it was a surprise for Lucy, but try not lying to her. Maybe get as close to the truth as you can before you ruin the surprise. Better yet, tell me so somebody else is included in your idea.”

“Hey, Igneel knew what I was doing!” Natsu says defensively. 

“Okay, so the next time you’re trying to surprise Lucy, just let her be aware there’s a surprise for her.”

“But that takes away from the surprise,” the pinkette groans loudly. 

Lucy silently laughs. She’s enjoying this moment. She’s with her brother and boyfriend. Things couldn’t be better.


	10. Chapter 10

A few nights later, Lucy and Natsu are snuggled up together, watching a movie. He’s lying down on his back, sprawled out on her couch with his arm wrapped around her waist. Her back is against his chest and she’s quite comfortable in this position. The only thing she’d change is the movie the pinkette selected.

He thought Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark would be a great thriller/horror movie to watch with his girlfriend. Natsu was proud of her for finishing it at least, even though she covered her eyes during certain parts. 

The credits start rolling and the blonde takes out her phone to type. The pinkette can read it over her shoulder from his position.

‘I pick the movie next time.’

He groans loudly. “It’s probably gonna be some chick flick.”

‘It’ll be better than this :P’

“Nuh-uh.”

‘It won’t have creepy creatures that want my teeth!’

“Those critters won’t want your teeth anyways. You’re too old.”

Lucy elbows him before typing some more. ‘Don’t say I’m old, idiot!’

He leans around to smooch her right cheek. “Besides, I’m here to protect ya. Ain’t no way I’ll let something happen to ya.”

She smiles softly, knowing he means every word. Natsu’s done so in the past, but he’s saved her from overly flirtatious guys that wouldn’t take no as an answer.

“Hey, Luce?” the pinkette asks suddenly. “I’ll understand if ya don’t wanna answer me, but, uh, how come–” He pauses for a moment. “It’s a part of you and I’d like to understand, but why… are ya… Why can’t ya talk?”

The blonde knew he would ask one of these days and she was prepared for whenever it did happen. She hits the back button of her phone to look at all the notes she has under her note app. She selects the red one titled “For Natsu” and makes sure he can read it. 

‘Even when I was born I wasn’t able to talk. It was later discovered there was a physical deformity with my larynx. That’s my voicebox. Muscles that are used for people to speak were broken before I could even use them. It’s so bad that I can’t even make sounds if I tried.

‘Aphonia makes sense for what I have. If you look it up on the internet, it’ll say “inability to produce voice” among some other things. There’s no way to fix it so my parents had me learn sign language as a baby so I could grow up learning. The three of us learned together. We had videos and people come in to teach us. I don’t remember any of it of course.

‘It wasn’t too bad growing up I guess. I always had a translator around me so I wouldn’t feel left out at home, school, or even in other places. That definitely made things better. It was like I wasn’t different after all. 

‘Middle school was where I met Levy. She was the new kid in class and sat next to me. Levy never looked at me like I was weird and I liked that. We became friends instantly when found out we were both reading the same book when we had free time in class. She learned sign language so she could communicate with me. It was another thing we could bond over together. 

‘Not much later, my mother passed away because she got sick. There was nothing anyone could do. We just made sure she was as comfortable as possible. When she did die, my father closed himself off. It was like I didn’t exist anymore. He busied himself with work to distract himself from his wife’s death. By doing that, he lost me too.

‘High school started and that’s where Levy and I met Gray. He seemed distant at first, but he helped me out when I was in a sticky situation. The two of us got really close after that. He even asked Levy to teach him sign language and he learned by himself on the side with books and videos. High school was pretty fun with Levy and Gray around me.

‘The summer after graduating high school was when I turned eighteen. I left home after that. I left behind my father and some friends, but I was happy I did. Because of Levy, I focused on making one of my stories a published piece. She encouraged me along the way big time. 

‘Now things are the way they are now.’

When the pinkette finishes reading, his grip around her tightens. “So you’ve… never heard yourself talk? Ya don’t even know whatcha sound like?” Of course he would talk about the first paragraph she wrote. 

Lucy shakes her head in response.

“I bet you’d have the sweetest voice ever. I’m sure I’d love listening to ya talk all the time. I’d never get bored of it.”

She smiles, not admitting she’s tried imagining what she would sound like. 

“I was too young to remember, but Igneel adopted me when I was a baby,” Natsu begins. “Well, he found me really, but I go with adopted. Without even giving it a second thought, he took me and raised me like his own son. Uncle Atlas helped too when Igneel wasn’t sure to do about certain things or needed a babysitter.

“I was a real rascal as a kid. Causing trouble is still a specialty of mine. Igneel always blamed my rambunctious behavior that he couldn’t tame. I’d calm down in an instant when cars were brought up. I always had an interest in them from the start and Igneel and Uncle Atlas taught me what they knew. I liked fixing them and figuring out what made them tick. As soon as I was old enough, they hired me as a mechanic to work at their shop. That was one of the best days of my life. 

“But then something even better topped it. I stopped by the grocery store after work and saw this cute girl who appeared to be having trouble with her car. Now as a mechanic, there’s no way I couldn’t not help her out. I had to do something. When I saved her, she asked me out to lunch as repayment.” He lowers his voice to a smug whisper. “It was totally her way of asking me out on a date really.”

The blonde silently giggles.

Natsu laughs and speaks again. “Don’t tell her I said this, but she maaay or maaay not have turned my world upside down. In a good way though. She’s fantastic. Great. Wonderful. But most of all, she’s mine and I’m hers.”

Lucy smiles and snuggles back into his chest. 

He starts humming a familiar tune and the blonde recognizes it as ‘You Are my Sunshine.’ She closes her eyes and listens to him contently. She wouldn’t want this moment any other way. Especially with anyone else.


	11. Chapter 11

The last volume of Lucy’s trilogy did more than exceptionally well once it was released. After her editor cleared her work, it was sent to be printed. Her copies sold and her readers loved it, even until the very end. 

The blonde has debated writing another volume, making it a quartet. She felt bad for Erik and Kinana because their love wasn’t meant to be like she originally planned when she first started writing the series. She knew she was rash and wrote what she did because of how she was feeling. Her editor loved the twist and kept it in after correcting some minor things. 

Lucy has thought about having Erik under some sort of spell from the very start to make things right for him. But that would mean writing another volume to continue the story. She wasn’t quite sure what to have the plot would even be. She didn’t want to bring back the evil doer who had died. She wanted him to stay dead for good. The blonde supposes could bring in another villain… 

But now isn’t the time to be thinking about what to do next for writing. She has a book signing coming up shortly. Lucy is currently out of state, time zones away from her home. She’s been away for days, the longest time she’s been away from Natsu since she met him.

Erza Scarlet parks the car in the spot reserved for the quartet. She’s a most fearsome woman to reckon and does her job extremely well. She was assigned to the blonde by Mavis Publishing and is grateful to work with someone like her. 

Wendy Marvell is Lucy’s personal interpreter and is always by her side when dealing with work. She may be a teenager, but she’s plenty more than capable. The dark-haired bluenette was chosen by Erza and Lucy to provide a voice for the blonde. She was recommended by the scarlet-haired woman’s fiancé and he didn’t disappoint with his advice. 

Juvia Lockser was handpicked by Erza to be Lucy’s personal body guard for events like this. She has a bubbly personality and is fun to be around. The long-haired bluenette has come in handy quite a few times and has never failed to protect her charge.

The three aren’t just people that work for and with the blonde. Lucy considers them all her close friends. They’re even like family to her. 

“Are you ready for this, Miss Lucy?” Wendy asks. 

She nods eagerly, feeling excited already. 

The girls get out of the car and walk through the backdoor of the bookstore. They are soon greeted by a well-dressed man with long green hair. “My name is Freed Justine and I’m the owner of his fine establishment. It’s such a pleasure having you all here today, Miss Heartfilia and company. We are all excited to have the four of you here today and tomorrow for this special two day event!” 

*I’m excited to be here,* the blonde signs. 

“Miss Lucy is excited to be here,” the dark-haired bluenette translates. 

“Splendid!” The green-haired man clasps his hands together. “Is there anything I can get to accommodate for you ladies?”

“Would it be possible to have bottles of water?” Erza requests. 

Freed nods. “That won’t be a problem.”

*At least two for Wendy to start with,* Lucy signs. *She’ll be doing most of the talking.*

“Ah, Miss Lucy said I will need at least two,” the dark-haired bluenette translates. “I’ll be doing the most talking after all.” 

The green-haired man nods. “Of course! Will there be anything else?”

“We’ll let Mr. Freed know if there is anything else,” Juvia replies cheerfully.

Things get started and the blonde finds herself before a multitude of people, varying in age. They’re all in line for her. While walking towards her seat behind the desk, she starts smiling and waving, ready for the moment. 

x-X-x

Lucy crashes onto her hotel bed, feeling worn out from everything that happened earlier. It was a pretty normal book signing for her. The only exciting thing that happened was when a guy tried jumping over the table. He mentioned his name was Dan one time and he wouldn’t stop calling her Lu Lu the rest of the time he was in front of her. The strange guy just really desperate to hug her. Juvia took him down in an instant before he could even lay a hand on her. After the book signing, the blonde had some other things to do. All of it made her tired and ready for bed. After all, it’s ten o’clock where she is. 

She debates what to do next. Lucy could video chat the pinkette or shower first so she’s relaxed beforehand. So she stands up and grabs her nearby computer bag, taking out her laptop. The blonde sits cross-legged on the bed while she waits for her laptop to boot up. Once it’s ready, she loads up Skype and calls him.

Natsu’s face pops up on screen, coated with splotches of grease on his forehead and cheeks. Some is even in his hair. He clearly had the same idea to shower later. “Hiya, Luce!” 

She smiles back. *Hello*

“Sooo how was your day? Anything exciting happen?”

The one desperate fan flashes through her mind.

The pinkette’s face lights up. “Oh! Something did! I can tell by your face! Tell me! Tell me!” 

Lucy minimizes the Skype screen and brings up a browser. She pulls up her Google Hangouts account to message Natsu while keeping the video up. 

Lucy: Don’t get mad. 

The pinkette frowns when he reads the message. “Why would I get mad?”

Lucy: I’m fine. 

He gives her a look. “Luce…”

Lucy: This one guy tried giving me a hug. My body guard handled it. It’s all fine. I’m fine.

His dark green eyes nearly pop out of his head. “Tell me everything!” 

Lucy: Things were normal. Then it was this one guy’s turn. Right before I signed his copy, he tried jumped the table. My body guard stopped him before he could do anything. He was forcibly removed from the building. I’m sure my friends will look out for him tomorrow if he tries showing up.

She watches his reaction while he reads. 

“Somebody tried hurting ya?!” Natsu fumes when he finishes. 

*Hugging,* the blonde corrects. 

“He clearly didn’t have those intentions!” He gasps. “And what if he tries something tomorrow?!”

Lucy: Juvia will handle it if ANYTHING happens. I’ve always been able to rely on her. I can count on her. You can too.

The pinkette folds his arms across his chest and mutters, “I’d feel better if I was there…”

Lucy: I’ll be fine. 

“Buuut I miss ya,” he whines. “It’d be nice to see ya again.”

Lucy: You’re looking at me right now :P

“It’s different when we’re together.”

The blonde smiles softly. *I know.*

“And I know you know.”

Now the two are just staring at each other like a pair of idiots. Natsu breaks the silence after Lucy yawns. “You’re probably really tired. Ya should get ready for bed and sleep. Another big day tomorrow.”

Lucy: But it’s nice talking with you.

He smiles softly. “We’ll have all the time to talk once we’re together again. I promise, Luce.”

She nods, failing at fighting off her sleepiness. Now that she’s not busy doing anything, she can feel just how tired she really is. It’s creeping in on her.

“So rest up and have fun while you’re away, okay?”

The blonde nods again. 

*Goodnight,* the pinkette signs flawlessly. *Sweet dreams.*


	12. Chapter 12

The blonde is halfway through her second day of the book signing. By this point, the attention is slightly overwhelming, but her friends are keeping her grounded. She loves their support and knows she needs it to make it through the day. 

While Lucy is signing another book yet again today, an incoming phone call distracts her. She glances up to notice the phone belongs to the scarlet-haired woman. It’s strange because she normally keeps her phone off for events like this.

“I apologize,” Erza says, reaching for her phone. Her brown eyes look down at the screen and she begins walking towards the back. “I will return momentarily.”

Hoping it’s not some emergency, the blonde finishes her signature and hands the book to the girl in front of her. 

“Thank you so much, Lucy Heartfilia!” she says with happiness, and moves away from the table.

She merely smiles and waves goodbye before smiling some more at the next person to approach her. The blonde makes it through signing the next book and taking a photo with the kind woman. Then she takes a seat and rather than smiling at the next person, her lips form a straight line instantly at the guy before her. 

“Hey, Lu Lu!” Dan Straight says happily. “I missed you yesterday!” 

The blonde abruptly stands up, knocking the chair back. She doesn’t need this right now. 

“How about–” he begins. 

The long-haired bluenette interrupts him by disarming him quickly and locking his arms behind his back. “This is the last time Juvia will escort you away. If Juvia sees you around Miss Lucy again, Juvia can guarantee you will not be happy.”

“Aww, but I’m always happy to be around my Lu Lu!” Dan whines. 

Strong arms wrap protectively around the blonde. Rather than being shocked, she relaxes at the familiar touch. She is very surprised he’s here with her though. 

“She ain’t your Lu Lu,” Natsu growls. “She’s my Luce.”

“And my sister,” Gray adds, stepping up to the right side of Lucy. 

Make that double surprised. 

Dan’s face drops and he whines some more. “Nooo! My Lu Lu has been taken away from–”

Juvia shoves him along roughly. “Time to go and never bother Miss Lucy again!” 

“I like her style,” the dark-haired guy chuckles, watching her push him away. 

“To think I was only gone for mere minutes and something happened,” the scarlet-haired woman comments. 

The blonde turns around to face her boyfriend and pecks his lips. As she’s moving away, the pinkette leans forward to lock lips again.

The whole line of people notices the show. The majority squeal, others groan, and some even clap. 

Gray grunts. “Ugh, not in front of me.” 

The couple moves apart, Lucy being the only embarrassed one. 

Natsu rolls his eyes. “Whatever, Ice Princess. You’re just jealous-WENDY!” 

The short girl smiles up at him. “Hello, Mr. Natsu!” 

*You two know each other?* the blonde signs. 

Erza clears her throat. “I believe it would be best to continue with on with your signing, Lucy.”

That snaps her back into reality and she looks at the line of people waiting for her. Then she looks back at her brother and boyfriend. *We will talk later.*

The pinkette nods. “Talk later. Got it. Oh yeah!” He takes the cup from Blue Pegasus out of the dark-haired guy’s hand. “I brought you some hot chocolate by the way.”

Gray smirks. “I gave him the idea. So much for your boyfriend knowing your favorite drink.”

Natsu narrows his gaze at him. “Hey, I’m learning! Gimme time!”

Lucy taps his shoulder to get his attention before singing, *Thank you.*

The pinkette signs a quick “you’re welcome” to her has as a response. 

The blonde pecks his lips before taking a seat and smiling at the next person in line who was very patient. She takes the book that’s handed to her and opens it up to sign. 

“I am sure Miss Lucy won’t mind if the both of you wait around,” the dark-haired bluenette suggests. “Just don’t cause any trouble for her and I’m sure Miss Erza will allow you to stay.”

The scarlet-haired woman nods. “That is the condition.” She studies the two guys carefully with a certain gleam in her eyes. “Be on your best behavior.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the two say in unison. 

The long-haired bluenette returns. “He shouldn’t bother Miss Lucy–” She stops speaking when her dark sapphire blue eyes land on a particular dark-haired guy. She nearly melts into a puddle on the spot. 

“Hey, nice moves earlier,” Gray compliments. “That was a good lock you put that punk in.”

Her face flushes. “Th-thank you so much!” 

The dark-haired guy looks taken aback. Her personality is way different from earlier. She was strong and confident, but now she’s a flustered mess. Everyone can see that.

Lucy has been aware of what’s happening around her even though she’s busy signing books. She’s happy there are two more additions to her support group of friends. She can only hope they don’t cause trouble for her. The blonde is pretty sure Erza would put them in their place should they act up. 

Lucy sips her hot chocolate while two guys step up to the table. 

“I’m here for moral support,” the one with black hair says.

“I’m your biggest fan!” the blond guy shouts, setting his book down in front of Lucy. 

She smiles. *Thank you* She opens book to sign it and grabs her blue pen.

“You’re welcome!” He grins from ear to ear. “I’ve learned some language just for this moment!” 

The blonde finishes her signature to sign, *I’m impressed.*

“Oh, could you make it out to Sting?” the blond guy adds. “Sting Eucliffe?”

Lucy nods and adds some more blue ink to the page. 

The guy named Sting grabs his friend’s arms. “Dude. I can’t believe it.” 

The one with black hair signs. “You’re cutting off my circulation again.”

“I can’t help it, Rouge!” 

The blonde holds out the book and hands it to the blond guy. 

He grins from ear to ear. “Thank you so much, Lucy Heartfilia!” 

She smiles. *You’re welcome.*

“And because I was waiting in line, could my friend get a photo with you?” the one named Rouge asks. 

Lucy nods and stands up. 

The blond guy’s face lights up. “Sweet! C’mon, Rouge. You get in too!” 

“But who’s supposed to take the photo?” he questions as he takes out his phone. 

“I can,” Wendy offers. 

With the blonde in the middle, the trio positions themselves for the photo while the dark-haired bluenette prepares for the shot. Lucy finds herself happy. Fans like Sting are the fans she really enjoys. They can get excited, but aren’t over the top. Then there are people like Rouge who are there for their friend. It’s a great circle and the blonde likes experiencing it.


	13. Chapter 13

After the book signing, it finally hit Lucy her brother and boyfriend were with her and not back home like she thought. The whole thing was kept a surprise.

Apparently Gray planned from the start to visit on the second day. He wanted her to have the first day all to herself. Natsu jumped on board with the idea and managed to not spoil the surprise. The dark-haired guy was in charge of having Erza help them out. The phone call she took was to let her know they needed to know where to park. She approved of the plan and helped the guys pull it off flawlessly. 

But before the duo could pull it off, Gray made the pinkette promise he would behave. It was Lucy’s book signing and her moment after all. The pinkette had to swear he’d be calm and mature about things in order for the dark-haired guy to bring him along. That explains why he was calm when Juvia apprehended Dan. Natsu saw the situation was under control and resisted the urge to punch the fan in the face. So he wrapped his arms around the blonde to give them something to do and still be protective over his girlfriend. 

Now everyone is seated around a table for dinner at a restaurant called Lamia Scale. It’s much fancier than 8-Island back home, but no one bothered to change clothes. On one side, Lucy is in the middle with Natsu and Gray on either side of her. Wendy, Erza, and Juvia are across from them. No one was surprised when Juvia called dibs on being across from the dark-haired guy immediately. Everyone could see just how infatuated she was with him. 

While they all talk, the couple learns how interconnected they were even before they knew the other existed. Gray and Natsu have been childhood friends, but he went to high school with Lucy. Wendy is Lucy’s interpreter while she’s Natsu’s younger cousin. Erza babysat Natsu way before she became Lucy’s editor. Not to mention, Levy knew Lucy first while Natsu’s cousin is Gajeel. The blonde wasn’t sure how it was possible, but she was sure their lives were intertwined for some reason.

The waiter takes away their menus and walks away to place their orders. 

“Are you relaxing now, Lucy?” the scarlet-haired woman asks as she sips her drink. 

*Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed earlier and the day before,* she signs, looking at the woman across from her. *But I like having downtime like this. You guys are more than friends. You’re like family.*

“She enjoyed the book signing days,” Wendy translates. “She likes downtime like this. We’re more than friends to her. We’re family.”

“Aww, Juvia thinks Miss Lucy is family too,” the long-haired bluenette gushes. 

The others nod in agreement. 

The blonde smiles, looking at the people around her. She cares for them all deeply and loves having them around her. 

“You’re not so bad, Lucy,” the dark-haired guy jokes.

“More like the best,” Natsu corrects. 

She casually shrugs it off before standing up.

“Is everything alright, Miss Lucy?” the dark-haired bluenette asks. 

*I’m going to the restroom,* she replies. *I’ll be back.* Then she walks away, looking for signs to guide here where she wants to go. Lucy manages to find the bathroom and pulls open the door. She walks inside and heads for a nearby stall. When she finishes, the blonde heads for the counter to wash her hands. While she keeps them under the running water, the lights go out without warning.

Lucy can hear some people outside of the restroom panic. Maybe the whole building lost power. But for what possible reason?

She shuts off the water, wipes her hands on her skirt, and reaches for her phone to use it as a light. Chills race down her spine when her hand passes through air. The blonde left her purse at her seat, thinking she wouldn’t need it.

Panic floods her system and fear creeps in. The room already feels degrees hotter than it was seconds ago. Or maybe it was just Lucy. 

She takes a deep calming breath, but it does little to settle her nerves. Being worried causes her to draw a blank. The blonde remembers the door is to the left of her, but she can’t remember specifically. It wasn’t in the middle was it? Or was there another door on the other side of the room she could use.

Lucy steps away from the sink to walk towards where she thinks the door is. She stops when she realizes she’s not familiar with the layout of this room. She can’t trust it even with the open floor plan. 

The blonde moves back to the sink, hitting her hip against the edge because she misjudged the distance. She grips the counter with her hands tightly and attempts to reassure herself she’s fine. She’s far from fine. Lucy’s legs are trembling and her arms are shaking. Her breathing is erratic and she’s practically gulping down air. Unwanted memories are resurfacing and she fights to keep them down. 

The blonde has been in a similar situation before and she doesn’t want to be reminded of it. 

She uses the counter to guide her along, feeling in front of her while she walks. She reaches the end when she bumps into the tiled wall. Lucy uses her hands to see until she rounds the corner, but the wall doesn’t continue like she thought it would. It just stops.

She isn’t sure why it doesn’t continue. Keeping hold of the wall with her right hand, she reaches out with her left one blindly. She doesn’t feel anything around her. 

The blonde steps back towards the wall and leans her back against it. Her hyperventilating is worse than before. She feels hot and dizzy. She wouldn’t even know if the room is spinning out of control or not. Lucy wipes the back of a hand to her forehead and feels sticky sweat. She’s clammy. 

A new terror arises in her and she can’t stop it. Not this time. It’s just like when she was a child. 

While Layla was still alive, the blonde and her parents were visiting relatives, the Lobster family. It was for Michelle’s birthday party. The children were playing hide and seek and Lucy though the seeker would never find her in one of the many hallway closets upstairs. She left the light on so she could see, but hid under some blanket to make sure she was hidden. 

A maid stopped by the room because she saw the light under the door. The blonde stayed quiet the whole time and didn’t peek so she wouldn’t be caught. The maid turned off the light and locked the door behind her so the children wouldn’t get into anything dangerous. 

Lucy stayed in her place for a few minutes before she started panicking. She fumbled standing up and hurt herself; she still has the scar on her knee from the accident. The blonde struggled making her way to the door and couldn’t find the light switch in her panicked state. She settled with banging on the door because she couldn’t shout. 

No one heard her. 

At some point, the adults ended the game because it was time for cake and goodies. Layla was the first to realize her daughter wasn’t with the others and Jude was the one who found her. 

Lucy was an absolute wreck. Her cheeks were tearstained cheeks and her eyes were puffy. The blood on her dress didn’t help any either. She was more terrified than anything else. 

It took days for the blonde to recover from that incident. Her parents got her a whistle to always wear in case she ever needed it. 

And right now she needed it more than ever.

Lucy finally succumbs to the memory and sinks down to the tiled floor in defeat. Tears are silently streaming down her face while her entire body is trembling. 

It’s like she’s trapped in the closet all over again. Scared and crying because no one can hear her.


	14. Chapter 14

Lucy jumps at the noise she hears and looks at the beam of white light. Through blurry vision, she squints, not sure why she’s seeing it. 

“LUCE!” a familiar voice shouts with worry. 

She wants to stand and go to him, but her body won’t budge a bit. 

The light moves with Natsu as he races to her side, crouching down. He sets his phone down so the light is still shining and he holds her. He strokes the back of her head gently. “It’s okay. I got ya. You’re safe.”

The blonde cries in relief, her body shuddering. She clings into him like a desperate lifeline, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. 

There’s a new beam of light. “Is she okay?” Gray asks, rushing into the room as well. 

“She’s shook up,” the pinkette replies. 

“Get her out of here. I’ll grab your phone.”

“There was a power surge,” Natsu explains while he picks her up princess style. “That’s why the power is out.”

Lucy buries her face into his scarf and inhales his scent. She slowly starts calming down. 

After grabbing his friend’s phone, the dark-haired guy holds the door open for them. The two walk down the hall, heading for the others. 

The lights flicker back on as the power comes back into the building. People cheer and clap.

“Oh, nooow they turn on,” Gray mutters bitterly. 

“See, all better, Luce,” the pinkette says like he’s speaking to a child. 

She keeps her eyes open and blinks only when she needs to. She doesn’t want to see darkness for some time. At least until she’s in a calmer state of being. The blonde keeps her gaze on Natsu who’s looking down at her. The dark-haired guy is guiding him so he doesn’t walk into something. 

“Maybe ya should have dessert first so ya feel better,” Natsu suggests. 

“We can make that happen for you,” Gray assures her. 

Lucy barely cracks a half-grin that the pinkette is the only one to notice. 

He gives her a little squeeze. “That’s the spirit.” 

As they make their way to their friends, the blonde can feel stares. She does her best to ignore it. When they reach the table, Natsu sits down at his spot and leaves Lucy in his lap. No one says a word about it.

“I think she needs some dessert,” the pinkette says. 

“She will have chocolate tiramisu cake even if I must bake it myself!” With that, Erza stands and walks away like she’s on a mission. 

“Is there anything you want right now, Miss Lucy?” Wendy asks with concern. 

With a shaky hand, she signs one word: water. 

Juvia is the first to hand her a full cold glass. 

With two hands, the blonde drinks it down greedily and her chest is heaving by the time she finishes it all in one go. 

“Better?” the dark-haired guy asks. 

She nods. 

“Good.” The pinkette gets more comfortable and wraps his arms around Lucy. Her body isn’t so stiff anymore and she has stopped shaking. 

Now the blonde realizes the position she’s in. Her face flushes, but she doesn’t move away. She’s too comfortable. 

The scarlet-haired woman returns with a plate of promised tiramisu. She sets it down on front of Lucy. “I want to see you have a few bites at the very least. Understood?”

Natsu lets her adjusts her position and she grabs a fork. She cuts off a sliver and puts it in her mouth. Wonderful flavors explode on her tongue and she quickly takes another bite. 

The dark-haired bluenette giggles. “At least she has an appetite.”

x-X-x

While the six are enjoying their meal, the owner of the Lamia Scale stops by the table. The short woman with grey hair apologizes profusely to them, especially to the blonde. The owner was slightly afraid she would try using her celebrity status and bash the restaurant for what happened. Lucy assured her multiple times nothing would happen. It wasn’t anyone’s fault there was a power surge after all. 

After dinner, the rest of the evening flies by and Lucy finds herself in her hotel room with her boyfriend. Erza and Wendy are allowing Gray crash with them, letting him have a bed to himself while they share one. He refused to bunk with the long-haired bluenette because he didn’t feel safe even thinking about being alone with her in her room. 

The pinkette whistles as he glances around the room. “Wow, Luce. Not bad.”

*Erza booked it along with the others for the girls,* she explains while he’s looking at her. 

“Erza booked. Other girls. Got it.” He’s getting much better sign language. His lessons with Lisanna are helping and he uses books to study on his own. 

*I’m going to shower before bed.*

Natsu’s face lights up with a mischievous grin. “Shower, huh? I’ll keep ya company–”

She shoots him a glare. *No.*

He frowns. “Buuut, Luce–”

*You will stay on the bed and not move. At all.*

The pinkette drags his feet over to the bed and readies himself to sit down. “Are you sure?”

*I’ll tell Erza.*

In the blink of an eye, his butt is on the mattress. “She’s scary even now…” Then he shudders at a thought. 

*Behave while I’m gone.*

“Remote?”

The blonde points to the nightstand and with that, she walks around the corner and into the bathroom. After closing the door behind her, she runs the water while she strips out of her clothes. She steps under the spray of the hot water and shuts the curtain. Lucy already feels better and relaxes while she applies shampoo.

By the time she finishes cleaning herself off, she feels rejuvenated. While the blonde dries off with a towel, something dawns on her. Her boyfriend is outside and so is her suitcase with her pajamas. She’s been alone in her room and it didn’t matter where she dressed before now. Reluctantly, Lucy wraps the towel around her, wishing it covered more. She can keep the tops of her thighs not so exposed, but that means showing off some cleavage. 

After taking a deep breath, the blonde exits the bathroom and walks into the room like nothing is wrong. She heads right for her suitcase that’s on the couch in the corner. 

While taking up the whole bed, Natsu bolts into a sitting position and gulps. “Lucy… ?”

She keeps her back to him, using one hand to get to her suitcase while the other is keeping her towel up. Meanwhile, her face is heating up and she hopes he doesn’t notice. Her free hand is fumbling and she hopes he doesn’t notice that either.

He clears his throat, but his voice totally cracks when he speaks. “Uh, Lucy?”

The blonde grabs her pink pair of pajamas and walks back to the bathroom, closing the door with her foot. She discards the towel and puts on her clean clothes. She gives herself a mental pep talk to act normal when she sees her boyfriend before she leaves the bathroom once more. When Lucy rounds the corner, she finds the pinkette intently waiting for her to come out. Now he’s on the side of the bed closest to her. 

“Hey…” he says slowly. 

*Hello,* she signs, walking towards the bed. 

Natsu scooches over so she has the right side of the bed for herself. “H-how was your shower?”

*Are you alright?* the blonde signs, completely ignoring his question. 

He speaks quickly and avoids eye contact. “Me? Fine. Totally fine. Yeah.” He briefly steals a glance before looking away. 

Lucy sighs, rolling her eyes. She hopes he won’t act like this the rest of the night. *Do you want to shower?*

“No,” the pinkette replies way too quickly. 

With a huff, the blonde turns so she is facing him while sitting-crossed legged. She decides to ask him again. *Are you alright?*

He merely gulps. “Fine.”

*Tell me the truth.*

Natsu’s face pales, which is an abnormal look for him because he has more of a tan than her. He fidgets with his fingers and mumbles something not audible enough for Lucy to hear. 

*Speak up,* the blonde urges. 

“Itwaslikeseeingyanaked,” he repeats way too quickly. 

*I only caught the first part. You need to slow down.*

“Slow down?”

Lucy nods. 

The pinkette takes a deep breath and lets it out. “It was like… seeing ya… naked.”

*I was wearing a towel.*

“That’s the closest to naked I have seen ya!” he points out defensively. 

*I’ve seen you only wearing shorts before. You had your private parts covered when and I had mine covered too.*

Natsu buries his face into his hands. “It ain’t an everyday thing to see your hot girlfriend in a towel fresh from the shower in her hotel room!” He peeks to see her reaction. 

The blonde’s face is the most red he’s seen it. Ever. She’s beyond frazzled and flustered. *Don’t say stupid things like that, you idiot.*

“But it’s true!” Then the pinkette frowns. “And I’m not an idiot.”

*You’re acting like one!* Lucy takes a calming breath. And then another one. *New subject. I want to relax before bed.*

His dark green eyes grow wide with shock. “B-bed?”

*Yes.*

“We’re supposed to sleep… in the same bed… ?”

She mentally facepalms he just now realized that. *You could use the floor.*

“No way! It won’t be as comfy.”

*Then I guess we’ll share the bed.* Then the blonde adds, *But that’s it. Just sleep.*

“Okay.”

*Alright.*


	15. Chapter 15

Lucy jars awake, escaping her nightmare. She bolts into a sitting position, breathing heavily as her chest heaves. She reasons with herself she’s not back in that dark restroom at Lamia Scale.

She grounds herself when she notices she can see. The source of light is coming from the bathroom. The light is on and the door is cracked open. She wasn’t sleeping in total darkness. 

The blonde looks down at her fast asleep boyfriend next to her. He’s sprawled out on his side of the bed, lightly snoring. Lucy smiles softly and lies back down, snuggling up against him. Her dreams consume her once more, but they’re much happier. 

x-X-x

She’s so comfortable and warm that Lucy doesn’t want to wake up. She is perfectly content like this. The bed isn’t nearly as great like this as it was from her first night in the hotel room. 

But then it dawns on her: she has company this time.

The blonde’s eyes snap open and she surveys the scene. She and Natsu are both on their right side and he’s hugging her like some body pillow. He’s the reason she was warm all night and it makes sense. He’s like she’s his own personal furnace. 

Now Lucy is faced with a dilemma. She’s awake for real this time and won’t be able to fall back asleep. Is she just supposed to stay still until the pinkette wakes up on his own? Should she wake him up? Maybe try sneaking away?

She comes up with an answer when she notices one of his hands is cupping one of her boobs. Vexation courses through her entire body. Before she can do anything, he twitches in his sleep and ends up squeezing his hand. Now she’s beyond exasperated. 

The blonde quickly bolts into a sitting position and his hand falls away from her. That’s enough to wake up the pinkette. “Wh-what’s goin’ on?” he asks groggily, sleepiness heavy on his voice. 

She narrows her gaze at him and dramatically signs, *Pervert!*

Natsu blinks. “Huh?”

Lucy grabs her pillow and nails him right in the face with it. 

“Oi, what’s wrong with ya?” The pinkette sits up as well, moving the pillow out of her reach. The blankets pool around his waist, exposing his torso. 

She’s disarmed at the sight before her. Toned muscles and abs. Relatively smooth, tan skin where it isn’t nicked with tiny scars. There are at least two noticeable scars. One is a slash on the right side of his neck while the other one is a slightly larger, x-shaped mark on the left side of his abdomen.

He snorts. “Eyes are up here, Luce.” 

With a flushed face, the blonde makes eye contact with him. *Where is your shirt?*

“Pfft, what shirt? I sleep naked.”

Her eyes grow wide with surprise, but then she clamps them closed. 

Natsu bursts into a fit of giggles. “I’m just messing with ya! I took my shirt off after I woke up to go to the bathroom. I kept my shorts on though. Promise.”

She doesn’t dare open her eyes. 

“C’mon, Luce.” He takes hold of her hands with his. “Ya can trust me.”

Because she does trust him, Lucy opens her eyes. 

The pinkette smiles at her. “Good morning.”

Her hands are preoccupied so she settles with just smiling back.


	16. Chapter 16

Four days later, Lucy is back to writing on her laptop. She’s sitting in Blue Pegasus with her laptop and headphones on so she can focus. It’s been a pleasant Thursday so far. It’d be better if a certain pinkette was around, but he has work. 

She downs the last of her hot chocolate and gets back to typing. The blonde is planning out an idea of what she wants to write next. Something about adventure and loyalty, but still has some laughs and romance along the way. She’ll fill in the needed characters along the way or when they pop up in her mind.

Nearly an hour later, Lucy is proud of the progression she has accomplished. Various documents have different things dedicated to them. One for characters, the general idea of the plot, and things the blonde wants to happen. 

She notices movement next to her and looks up to see a beautiful woman with fair skin. She has long, wavy white hair and sparkling blue eyes. She’s wearing a Blue Pegasus uniform and is holding a large cup. 

The blonde pauses her music and takes out head headphones, smiling at her favorite barista. 

“I figured you could use some more,” Mirajane says, setting down the full cup of hot chocolate and grabbing the empty one. She knows to give Lucy another round whenever she looks like she needs it. They worked out a little deal where the blonde will pay for her tab before she leaves. 

*Thank you,* Lucy signs. 

The white-haired woman smiles. “You’re welcome. Have fun writing, Lucy! I can’t wait to read what you release next!” 

The blonde waves goodbye while Mirajane walks away. She takes out her phone to text Natsu, knowing it could be hours before he replies. 

Lucy: I hope you’re having fun at work! :) Can’t wait for our date later :D

x-X-x

Around seven o’clock, the blonde is waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up from her home. When they saw each other last night, he said he wanted to take her on a date to celebrate their one month anniversary. They both were going to be busy tomorrow on the eleventh so Natsu planned to celebrate the day before. 

Lucy made sure to look pretty and flirty all at the same time in the attire she ended up with. She’s wearing a pale pink, sleeveless turtleneck and black skirt with a cute little belt. Her tights are black, much like the ankle booties she has on. Her hair is tied up in her signature little side ponytail on the right side of her tied. She added a red bow to complete the whole look. 

While she waits, the blonde writes in her office. Time passes and she keeps glancing at the clock. The pinkette isn’t one to be late and if he happens to be running late, he always texts to let her know. 

She takes out her phone to text him. 

Lucy: You’re still coming, right?

She sets her phone down and gets back to writing. 

Now it’s seven-thirty and she’s panicking. This isn’t like Natsu at all and there’s no way he would have stood her up. She high doubts he would have forgotten about this date. The thing that concerns her the most is he hasn’t replied to a single text. She ends up texting her brother. 

Lucy: Have you heard from Natsu? O-o

Gray: What did that dumbass do now?

Lucy: Nothing. It’s because he hasn’t done anything.

Gray: What do you mean?

Lucy: He was supposed to pick me up around seven for a date. I haven’t heard from him since this afternoon while he was working.

Gray: Texting hasn’t worked? 

Lucy: No… :c

Lucy: I’m worried… :C

Gray: I’ll try calling. Hold tight. 

The blonde takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. She isn’t sure what’s happening exactly. Something doesn’t feel right. That’s all she knows. 

Maybe she should go down to the shop to see if he’s still there. He could have lost track of time and his family didn’t think to kick him out. 

Lucy’s phone goes off to let her know she has a text. It just isn’t from who she was hoping for. 

Gray: I got nothing. I have no clue what’s up with Flame Brain.

Lucy: Thanks for trying! 

A knock on the door makes her heart skip a beat. Normally Natsu just strolls on inside, not bothering to knock ever. Maybe he was changing things up because of the special date. 

The blonde walks over to the door and opens it, her heart sinking when it’s not the pinkette. 

Rather, it’s a muscular man covered in grease towering over her. his dark red hair slicked back and his eyes are dark. He has tan skin and a big build, making his overall image intimidating. 

“Lucy, right?” he asks, being more gentle than she originally anticipated. 

She manages to nod. 

“It kinda sucks that we’re meeting like this, but I’m Igneel.” He holds out a hand to shake, but looks down at his greasy palm. He decides to lower it back to his side. “Um, I know you can’t talk so lemme do all the talking.”

She nods again to encourage him. 

“Natsu had a slight accident and had to go to the emergency room,” the red-haired man begins. 

The blonde’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. Emergency room! Just how serious were things?!

“He’s got a broken wrist,” Igneel continues. “Natsu woulda texted ya, but he left his phone at work. He’s been worried about ya this whole time and wanted me to come down to talk.”

*Is he alright now?* Lucy signs. 

He blinks in confusion. “Uhhh…”

She opens the note app on her phone and starts typing. She shows him the message.

‘Sorry about the signing! I asked if Natsu is alright now.’

“Oh, yeah. The doc patched him up. He’s got a cast now, but he’ll live.”

The blonde types some more and shows the red-haired man. ‘Where is he now?’

“At home with Atlas. He’s my younger brother.” Igneel chuckles. “The boy is still really determined to take ya out tonight.”

She smiles at her boyfriend’s actions. 

A mischievous glint flashes in his dark eyes. “Now Natsu may have had me come here to letcha know what was going on, buuut now that I’m here, I have an idea…”


	17. Chapter 17

For the fifteen minute car ride, Igneel talks about his adoptive son the whole time, sharing stories with Lucy. He talks about Natsu’s childhood and what it was like being a single parent raising a wild child like him. He had his younger brother to help out and be a great uncle though. The red-haired man fits in as many embarrassing stories as he can, especially the ones where the little pinkette would run around the house only in his scarf. 

Igneel pulls into the drive and the blonde takes in the moderately sized home where Natsu grew up. It’s easily bigger than her little one. The curb appeal is in order and the lawn looks recently mowed. 

He parks his jet black jeep inside the garage and shuts off the engine, chuckling to himself. “The boy won’t know what hit him.”

The duo gets out of the jeep and the red-haired man leads the way through the door that leads into the kitchen. 

“WHY CAN’T I FIND ’EM?” Natsu hollers. “I JUST HAD ’EM.”

The pinkette appears to be in the middle of getting ready for the date. He’s wearing a red, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled back to his elbows and black pants. Socks are on his feet, but he’s missing shoes. His new accessory is a black cast on his left arm. It leaves his fingers exposed and stops halfway up his forearm. 

“I’m not sure where your shoes went, Natsu,” a man sitting down at the kitchen table says. He kicks a pair of black shoes under the table, keeping them out of view, and winks at Igneel and Lucy. 

The blonde assumes he is Atlas, the younger brother and uncle. He has copper red hair kept in a shirt style and facial hair. He has a very similar build to Igneel, making it obvious the two are brothers. They could even fool people and say they’re fraternal twins. 

“I CAN’T FIND MY TIE EITHER!” the pinkette growls, going into the family room in searching for his clothes.

The red-haired man secretly motions to his brother, waving a hand by his right pocket. Atlas catches on and stuffs the rest of the tie sticking out of his pocket. 

Natsu storms back into the kitchen and makes eye contact with Igneel. “Why aren’t ya with Lucy?!”

“I am,” he replies, being honest. 

He peers around and notices the blonde for the first time. “Oh. Hiya, Luce.”

She waves hello. 

Then the pinkette continues looking for his tie and shoes. 

The two brothers both roll their eyes at the density of Natsu. Then the copper-haired man holds up three fingers and counts down. 

Three…

Two…

One…

The pinkette spins around to look at his girlfriend with a stunned expression. “LUCE?!”

She smiles this time when she waves. *Your father brought me here.*

He shoots an accusing look at the red-haired man. “Why’d ya bring her here?!”

He shrugs. “I thought Atlas would wanna meet your girlfriend too! It’s been a month.”

Natsu walks over to the blonde and pulls her away from Igneel. He keeps her close to his side. “I told ya both it was gonna be a month before I let either one of ya meet her.”

“And it’s been a month,” Atlas points out. 

“A month tomorrow!” the pinkette clarifies. 

The red-haired man rolls his eyes dramatically. “So what if we’re a day early?”

“Because we’re supposed to go out tonight to celebrate our one month anniversary!” With a loud huff, he looks at Lucy and takes a calming breath. “I woulda texted ya from somebody else’s phone, but I don’t have your number memorized. I don’t have any numbers memorized for that matter.” He glances down at his cast. “Ya see, these ten guys just jumped me and I had to fight them off–”

“He tripped actually,” Igneel interrupts.

Natsu puffs his cheeks out. “Only because Uncle Atlas left something in the way and didn’t tell me he put the part behind me. But saying I was jumped sounds way cooler.”

The copper-haired man nods in agreement. “True.”

The pinkette sighs. “And now we’re way late for the reservation I had–”

*It’s fine,* the blonde signs, assuring him.

He frowns slightly. “I was hoping things would be special for us.”

*Things can still be special. We’re together right now after all. Isn’t that what we wanted after all?*

“Well, when ya put it that way, yeah.”

*Then everything is fine. Everything is still special.*

Natsu smiles and leans in to peck her lips, resting his forehead against hers. “You’re the one who makes everything special.”

“Wow,” Igneel says with genuine surprise. “Atlas, have ya ever seen that boy so caring?”

“Not that I can think of,” he replies.

The pinkette pulls away and makes a face at his family, keeping his right hand around Lucy’s waist. “And then the two of ya had to go and ruin that moment.”

The red-haired man holds up his hands defensively. “Hey, if ya kids still wanna go out and do something, that’s fine. Buuut I’m just saying we could order pizza instead for the four of us.”

*It’s been awhile since I’ve had pizza,* the blonde signs with a grin.

“Extra cheese?” Natsu asks. 

She nods. 

“We’ll stay as long as somebody orders pizza with extra cheese on it,” the pinkette says. 

Igneel nods. “We’ll make half of one pizza with that and the other half with meat.”

“And we’ll need a full pizza just with meat only,” the copper-haired man adds. “Some drinks too.”

“And dessert!” all three of the guys say in unison.

Lucy looks at the people around her and smiles. She knows she would have enjoyed her time with just Natsu and loved every minute of it. Without a doubt. But now she thinks some antics will be involved. Most definitely. 

“Guess I don’t need my shoes or tie anymore,” the pinkette jokes. 

“I’m surprised ya didn’t catch on,” the red-haired man comments. 

Natsu blinks. “Huh?”

Atlas reaches under the table and pulls out the shoes. 

“Ya hid them from me?!” the pinkette demands. 

For extra measure, the copper-haired man fishes out the tie, dangling it out. He doesn’t have to say a word at all. 

“Stalling tactics,” Igneel explains. “He knew I was bringing your girlfriend over. Couldn’t have ya leaving before I brought her over.”

“Whelp, Luce and I are together and that’s what matters!” he clarifies with a wide grin.


	18. Chapter 18

The four are all sitting around the kitchen table with the pizzas, enjoying the company of one other. The three Dragneels are cracking jokes when they can and being their loud normal selves. Lucy’s mouth hurts from smiling so much and her stomach hurts from all the laughing. 

“But seriously!” Atlas laughs. “I’d come over to visit my brother and nephew only to find Natsu streaking while wearing just his scarf! We’d try chasing him down, but he’d always escape!” 

“And that one day he got outside in the front yard!” the red-haired man adds, wiping a tear away. “The two of us were chasing a naked six-year-old who was laughing his little ass off! He was just having the time of his life!”

The pinkette grins and points at the two of them. “Two grown men couldn’t handle me! Clearly I was unstoppable and too much for the both of ya!”

“We’re lucky ya didn’t try and over!” the copper-haired man comments. 

“First stop woulda been my house,” Igneel jokes. “Then the whole world!” 

The blonde shakes her head. She never would have guessed her boyfriend was such a wild child to take care of. At least he’s seemed to have mellowed out with age.

“So when the two of ya have your first kid, don’t be surprised when they try running naked too,” the red-haired man says. 

Lucy’s body stiffens and she feels her face heat up. She wants to climb under a rock and stay there. 

“K-kid?” Natsu stutters. 

“First kid,” Atlas points out. “We’re expecting a lot.”

“I want many grandkids.” Igneel narrows his gaze at his son. “Many.”

He flinches. “B-but–”

“No buts!” the copper-haired man interrupts. “I want awesome nieces and nephews. A bunch of ’em too.”

The pinkette looks at his embarrassed girlfriend for help. 

*They’re your family,* she signs. *Your problem.*

He shakes his head. “Oooo no. We’re dating. They’re your family too.”

“That’s how it works,” the two men say in unison. 

It’s a strange concept to the blonde. The last time she spoke with her father was the day she left home because of their falling out. Her current family consists of Levy, Erza, Wendy and Juvia. Now three Dragneels have been added to the mix. 

“Let’s watch a movie or something,” Atlas suggests. 

The red-haired man stands up. “You two pick one out while we clean up in here.”

“Yeah, let’s go, Luce!” Natsu takes her left hand with his right and leads her away. He takes her to the family room and they look at the shelf with all sorts of movies. 

*I had no idea you liked movies so much,* the blonde signs. 

“My dad’s a huge fan,” he says. “Especially the classics.”

*What do you like? Besides horror?*

A wide grin appears on his face. “Dragons. Anything involving dragons.”

She scans the shelf and grabs a movie, showing it to Natsu. 

“How to Train Your Dragon. Good choice, Luce!” 

“Oi, does popcorn sound good?” the copper-haired man asks from the kitchen. 

“I’ll share with Luce!” the pinkette shouts. 

She laughs to herself. His stomach always seems like a bottomless pit when it comes to eating. 

“I’ll set this up,” Natsu says. “Take a seat anywhere ya like.”

So she sits down with room for her boyfriend. Something brushes against her legs and she jumps in surprise. Lucy looks down to see a blue cat.

The animal meows up at her.

The pinkette looks back at the sound. “That’s just Happy. He got into some blue paint. We’re sure it’ll wash out. But be careful–”

The cat jumps onto the couch. 

“Happy, no!” Natsu moves away from the TV, but stops in place. “Happy… ?”

The animal curls up on the blonde’s lap and starts purring loudly, demanding love and attention. 

*I’m not allergic or anything,* Lucy signs, before petting Happy. 

“Daaad,” the pinkette shouts. “Uncle Atlasss.”

“What did ya do now, Natsu?” his father asks in a disapproving voice. 

“Did you break something?” Atlas adds. 

“Uh, ya should come see this,” the pinkette says, not taking his eyes away from the scene in front of him. “I think she broke Happy.”

The two men walk into the room. “What is it?” the red-haired man asks. 

Natsu merely points at the cat. 

The two become just as shocked as the pinkette at what they see. 

*What’s wrong?* the blonde asks. 

“What did she say?” the copper-haired man asks. 

“She doesn’t get it,” Natsu replies. 

“Happy doesn’t like new people,” Igneel explains. “At all.”

“He only likes the three of us,” Atlas adds. 

The pinkette blinks a few time, like he’s making sure what he’s seeing is real. “Ice Princess has been over here before and Happy pretty much attacked him.”

“It’s gotta be a sign,” the copper-haired man breathes. 

Igneel looks at his son. “Natsu, don’t ever let Lucy go. Ever.”

Natsu grins. “I don’t plan on it.”

x-X-x

The couple is now standing on Lucy’s front porch after the pinkette drove her home.

He rubs the back of his head with his good hand. “Sorry things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them too.”

*I had fun,* she signs.

“Really?”

The blonde nods. *I always have fun when you’re around.*

He smiles. “I do too. When you’re around I mean. I have fun when you’re around.”

She stands on tiptoes to smooch his lips. Natsu grabs her shoulders and steps forward to deepen the kiss. Then he snakes his hands around her waist and pulls her against him, trying to be smooth with his broken wrist. Butterflies zoom around Lucy’s stomach. She still gets that sensation even now and never gets tired of it. 

When their lips loose contact, the pinkette leans his forehead against hers and says with a lazy grin, “Now thaaat’s a goodnight kiss.” 

Lucy merely rolls her eyes dramatically, but still silently giggles. 

The two break apart and she signs, *Text me when you get home.*

“Will do. Night, Luce.”

*Goodnight, Natsu.*

“Next time we see each other, it’ll be a date with just the two of us. Does that sound good?”

She nods eagerly. *I’m looking forward to already.*


	19. Chapter 19

When Lucy wakes up the next morning, she has stomach pains. Not much later, she makes the discovery it’s her time of the month. Great. 

Knowing she doesn’t have plans for the day, she changes into her comfiest pair of pink sweat pants and a plain white tee. After throwing her long hair up into a loose bun, she heads for her office. The blonde wants to keep herself distracted from the pain and cramps so she decides to write some more. 

She picks up where she left off from last night before Igneel arrived. Not that she minded the interruption. Lucy was able to meet to people near and dear to her boyfriend. She enjoyed her time with the Dragneels and would definitely do it again. 

Her phone goes off because of an incoming text message. 

She grabs it and smiles as she reads the message. 

Natsu: This car ride is loooooooong and we’re not even there yet! Dad thinks he’s funny but he ain’t :P He just won’t stop talking about ya XD

Before she can respond, another message comes through.

Natsu: I’ll be back sometime Sunday so I can see ya then :D And don’t forget we still gotta celebrate!!

They couldn’t celebrate their one month anniversary because the pinkette had plans he couldn’t cancel. Every year to celebrate the day Natsu entered Igneel’s life, the duo takes a little weekend trip together. Just so it could be like old times. Atlas always watched the house and took care of Happy in the meantime so the both of them wouldn’t be lonely without the other two. 

The blonde starts texting back. 

Lucy: I guess I left more of an impression than I thought XD At least your father likes me!

Natsu: And Uncle Atlas. Even Happy. So much for keeping ya alllll to myself :P

Lucy: Clearly I’m so great I need to be shared with your family!

Natsu: Yeahhh. Thaaat’s it.

Lucy: Hey, how’s your wrist by the way? O-o

Natsu: Not bad. It’s weird wearing a cast. It feels weird.

Lucy: What are you going to do about work?

Natsu: Dad and Uncle Atlas won’t lemme do what I normally do :/ They said if I wanna keep working, I gotta do computer stuff. Which is borrrrrrrrring :P 

Lucy: You’re lucky it wasn’t your dominate hand.

Natsu: Uncle Atlas is lucky I don’t try breaking one of his wrists so he feels my pain!

Natsu: I’m this way because of that no good bastard!! D:


	20. Chapter 20

The blonde made it to episode ten before she finally went to bed. She never did check her email to see if Erza replied back to her. She figured she could do it when she woke up. 

And now that Lucy is awake, she wants to be sleeping again. 

She still has pain and didn’t feel it in her sleep. Normally the blonde just has cramps on the first day of her period, but now isn’t the case. Is it possible it hurts even more today? 

Lucy gives up trying to fall back asleep after five minutes of rolling around, trying to get comfortable. Nothing works. She heaves herself out of bed, not bothering to change out of the clothes from yesterday. It’s not like the blonde is seeing anyone today. She was so tired last night she completely went to bed without giving it a second thought.

Maybe Lucy has an upset stomach to go along with her time of the month. That could explain why her stomach still hurts. She doubts it’s from the pizza and popcorn from the other night. Probably just some bug that will pass within the next day or so. 

She sighs loudly. Looks like another day of putting up with the uncomfortable pain.

The blonde decides to skip out on breakfast because it doesn’t sound all that appetizing. While she checks her phone, she heads to her office to sit down. 

They are all from Natsu that she didn’t hear while she was sleeping. They are all sent within the hours after two in the morning. 

Natsu: Made it to the hotel ^o^

Natsu: Dad is snoring SO LOUDLY THAT HE SOUNDS LIKE A DAMN DRAGON D:_


	21. Chapter 21

Lucy’s eyes begin to flicker open and the first thing she focuses on is the horrible stomach pains. She definitely hasn’t had anything like this before and has tried taking medicine over the past two days to help. She’s sweaty and has the chills all at the same time. It takes her minutes just to sit up and turn on the light on her nightstand. The blonde glances at her clock to discover it’s just after three in the morning. 

With a heavy sigh, she gingerly swings her feet over the edge of the bed and stands up, slightly crouched over. Tiptoeing as fast as she can, which is rather slow and sluggish, she makes her way to the bathroom. A familiar nauseous feeling is rising and Lucy is going to hate what is about to happen. She barely makes it to the toilet before she starts vomiting. She holds her hair back with one hand and props herself up with the other. 

All of this is absolutely horrible and she wants it all to go away. She wants to wake up and find it was all just some realistic nightmare. 

When the blonde stops, she sits back down and finds herself crying. Her stomach really hurts. She only wants the pain to go away. Heck, she wouldn’t mind throwing up again if that meant the pain would stop. 

Lucy uses the edge of the tub to slowly stand on her feet and trudges over to the nearby sink. Just as she is about to put toothpaste on her toothbrush, she drops the items in the sink. As quick as she can, she leans over the toilet again to vomit even more. There’s nothing left in her stomach, but the blonde is still heaving. 

Wiping away the sweat from her face, she tiptoes back to her bedroom and grabs her phone. She pulls up Levy to text her. 

Lucy: Levy

It’s after three in the morning. She doubts the short-haired bluenette would hear her phone and wake up because she’s such a heavy sleeper. The blonde tries texting another person. 

Lucy: Gray

Just in case he doesn’t respond, she texts a third person.

Lucy: Natsu

Not much later, her phone goes off.

Natsu: You’re still up?

She wastes no time texting, not caring if she’s grammatically correct or not.

Lucy: Call ambulance to my house. Now. Can’t drive.

Lucy: Stomach pains. Nausea. Vomit. Chills.

Mere seconds pass and, much to her surprise, the pinkette’s name pops up on the screen because he’s calling. She finds herself answering the call and holding the phone up to her ear. 

He doesn’t sound the least bit tired when he speaks. “Luce? Dad’s calling for help so hold on. I want ya to stay on the phone with me, okay? And when the paramedics get there, I wantcha to hand the phone over to someone so I can explain the situation. Ya got that?”

The blonde clicks her tongue to make a sound and acknowledge him. She sits down, but that’s more uncomfortable than standing, so she stands up again. She sniffles back the tears that she can’t stop. 

Natsu groans. “I’m sorry I’m not there to help ya, Luce. I’d be right by your side if I could. But you’re gonna get help. People are gonna be able to take care of ya. I promise.” 

Lucy tiptoes her way over to the front door to unlock it when help does arrive. Should she just wait in the family room for when the paramedics do come?

“Are ya holding up okay?” the pinkette asks, sounding like he’s doing something in the background. “Should ya try drinking water? Wait. Ya might end up throwing that up if you’re still in that mood–”

The blonde collapses and lands on the hard wooden floor, her phone slipping out of her hand. She’s able to hear his voice due to the silent house. “Luce, what was that sound?” 

She reaches for her phone and brings it to her ear while she curls up into a ball. Nothing she does is helping with the pain.

“Are ya still with me? Luce?” Worry is thick in Natsu’s voice. “Lucy!” 

She clicks her tongue again as a reply.

He sighs. “Don’t worry me like that.”

What is wrong with her stomach? It hurts so much. It feels like it’s going to burst even though nothing looks wrong with it. 

The pinkette keeps talking so she has something to focus on. “Dad totally tripped and faceplanted into the sand while we were at the beach. I wish I got a picture of it, but I didn’t. I laughed my ass off instead. I’m just glad I was looking when it happened.”

The blonde carefully flips onto her other side, seeing if that will help anything at all. It doesn’t feel better or worse in the slightest. At this point, it seems like nothing will help. 

“Hey, we still hafta decide what we wanna do to celebrate our one month anniversary,” Natsu brings up. “I s’pose we could do dinner somewhere. Or I cook. If it’s at my house, we getta deal with my dad. And maybe Uncle Atlas. So your house might be best if we wanna cook.”

Lucy silently groans, clamping her eyes closed tightly. The pain is excruciating and she isn’t sure what she can do to help herself. Maybe all she can do is wait for the paramedics. Her eyes open at the sound of his voice. 

“And we’re gonna do even more stuff as soon as I get back,” the pinkette continues. “More hanging out and dates. Watching movies and cuddling. Going out and doing things. It’s all gonna be great. Just you and me, Luce. It’ll be the way it should be.”

Her vision is slipping away and she feels shadows creeping in. Natsu’s voice is right next to her, but he seems so far away. His voice is growing more and more urgent, but he’s getting quieter by the second until she doesn’t hear him at all anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I tried making Natsu be sweet and caring. He feels totally helpless in this situation, but wants to be as helpful as possible to his girlfriend! If he was at home, he woulda called for help while driving over himself!


	22. Chapter 22

Appendicitis. That’s the diagnosis given to the blonde while she’s shivering under a thin sheet. Test after test, now they know what’s ailing her.

“The CAT scan showed us there’s a pinhole sized hole in your appendix,” the female nurse explains. “We’re also able to see liquid leaking from it. Now that we know your condition, we’ll be able to help.” 

“So surgery, right?” Atlas asks from his seat. He’s here because the pinkette had his dad call him. Natsu didn’t want her alone through this. 

The nurse nods and looks at Lucy. “You’re lucky you came in when you did. Things wouldn’t be so good for you if you waited any more days.”

Dead. She would probably be dead soon if she waited more. It took almost three days before she finally cried uncle because of her high tolerance of pain.

“We’ll prep for surgery and take care of you right away,” the woman says, and leaves the small room tucked away in the emergency area. 

“Appendicitis. So that’s it.” The copper-haired man sighs in relief. “Good to know.”

The blonde starts writing on the little notepad that was given to her. When she finishes, she shows it to Atlas. ‘Will you let Natsu know?’

He’s already taking out his phone to text. “Sure thing.”

While he’s doing that, Lucy writes more on the notepad and waits for the copper-haired man to read it. 

“Annnd done.” He lifts his head and reads the message. 

‘Thank you for being here. It means a lot.”

He smiles and looks at her. “You’re family. Of course I’d be here for ya.”

The two look at Atlas’ phone when it starts ringing. “That kid…” he says before answering. “Whatcha want, Natsu?” His eyes flicker over to the blonde who is watching him. “I dunno. She doesn’t seem like the talking type.”

She softly smiles. Of course the pinkette wants to talk to her. 

“Ugh, fine, fine. Gimme a sec.” The copper-haired man stands up and holds out his phone. “It’s for ya.”

She takes it and holds the phone up to her ear, clicking her tongue so he knows she has it now. 

“Appendicitis sure is a real bitch, huh, Luce?” he jokes. “I’m glad they know what’s up with ya. You’ll feel better soon enough. And maybe I’ll be there by the time ya wake up from surgery.”

The blonde gasps. She didn’t know he was on his way to see her. 

He chuckles. “Oh, don’t act so surprised. When I called ya the first time, Dad and I were already packing up. We’ll be there in a few hours.”

Lucy can’t help but smile. Her boyfriend was too sweet sometimes. 

“Uncle Atlas is gonna be there with ya the whole time so ya won’t be alone,” Natsu continues. “So once I get there it’ll be a different story-Hey! Knock it off, Dad!” 

The blonde can make out a deep voice in the background, but isn’t sure what Igneel is saying. 

“Not funny, Dad!” the pinkette hisses. 

The red-haired man says something else Lucy can’t make out. 

“FIGHT ME, OLD MAN!” Natsu shouts suddenly. 

The blonde holds the phone away from her ear momentarily. 

“Shit, I’m sorry, Luce,” the pinkette says, realizing his actions. “Didn’t mean to be loud.”

She merely clicks her tongue. 

Then the nurse returns. “It’s time, Miss Heartfilia.” 

She holds the phone out for the copper-haired man and he takes it. 

“Lucy’s going away now,” Atlas says. “Surgery time.” He pauses. “Yeah, I’m staying.”

The woman unlocks the bed and starts rolling the blonde away. 

Without looking back, she raises a hand to wave goodbye to the copper-haired man. 

“I’ll be here when ya come to, Lucy,” he says. “I’m sure Natsu will too.”

The nurse wheels the bed around until they go into the wide open operation room. People gather around her and now the blonde becomes self aware. Under her hospital gown, the only thing she is wearing is an old pair of pink underwear that she doesn’t care if it gets dirty. Ugh, everyone will probably see it at this rate. 

One person injects something into her bloodstream. “Start counting backwards from ten,” he instructs. 

Lucy isn’t sure if she ever makes it to seven or not…

x-X-x

She slowly opens her eyes and blinks a few times, becoming aware of herself and what’s around her. 

The blonde is lying down on a bed, slightly propped up, with air softly blowing up her nose. She’s more than sure something was down her throat during surgery by the way it feels. It’s clear to see she’s in some kind of recovery room with the wide open space. 

But best of all, she realizes her stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. 

Footsteps approach her. “It’s nice to see you’re awake, honey,” an unfamiliar voice says warmly. 

Lucy turns her head to the left to look at her. She’s a rather plump lady with dark skin in a lovely shade of dark chocolate. 

“Your throat may be a little sore from the tube you had in during surgery, but you’ll be able to talk normally soon enough,” the nurse says. 

*But I can’t talk,* the blonde signs with heavy, sluggish arms. 

The woman blinks. “Oh. Nobody told me you couldn’t talk to begin with. I’ll try and get a translator for you as soon as possible.”

She merely nods. 

“Your appendix burst sometime before surgery so there is a pouch in you to drain away all the puss,” the nurse explains. “Be wary of that because it is attached to you.” 

She looks down and notices the pouch off on her right side for the first time. It’s already filled with vile looking puss and she looks away to nod again.

“Are you ready to go to your room or do you want to wait here a bit more?”

Lucy holds up a finger, signaling for the first option.

“You need a minute?”

She shakes her head. Wrong meaning. 

“To the room?”

She nods. 

“Just lemme take out your canal before I get you rolling anywhere, honey.”

Once the blonde can breathe on her own, the woman wheels the bed out of the recovery room and down halls. She pushes the bed into the room Lucy will be residing in and parks the bed next to the one that belongs to the room. 

The nurse busies herself with small work. “We’re gonna move you onto the other bed now. Tae it nice and slow. Just lemme leave the room to get–” She stops talking when she looks at the blonde. 

She’s already on the other bed with her pouch by her side. Lucy moved herself carefully using her arms and legs. 

The woman looks back at the empty bed in front of her before back at the blonde. “Did you just-By yourself-Without me?”

She nods. She’s used to doing things by herself. And the nurse said she needed to move so she moved herself by herself. 

The woman smiles. “You’re a tough one, honey.” While she hooks Lucy up to an IV in her left arm, the blonde looks around the room she’ll be staying in. 

The walls are pale blue while the ceiling and floor are both white. It’s not a bad space with enough room to fit a few people inside without any issues. There’s a couch under a window that’s pretty much diagonally to her left. The door across from her must lead to the bathroom. Wow, a shower sounds great right now…

“There you go.” The nurse looks at Lucy. “Now I’m gonna get outta your hair. Your visitor wanted some alone time with you.”

Her heart skips a beat. Natsu. He’s already here. She’s slightly surprised he hasn’t tried bursting into the room already. 

“Do page if pain increases, honey. I’ll getcha some morphine to help with it.” With that, she walks out of the room and closes the door behind her. 

When the door opens, the blonde’s eyes grow wide with surprise. It’s not Natsu. She inhales sharply from the shock. 

“Hello, Lucy,” her father says as he closes the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For those of ya who guessed appendicitis, well done! The majority of Lucy’s experience is going to be what I went through myself actually! It wasn’t fun at all and I nearly died, but I’m alive and that’s what matters. Also, this was a way for me to bring Jude into the story!
> 
> Berch: Thank you so much :3


	23. Chapter 23

Jude Heartfilia practically looks the same. The middle-aged man is wearing a pressed brown suit and neat red tie. His dark blond hair is slicked back and his mustache is trimmed. His dark eyes aren’t what she remembers. They seem kinder than the last time she saw them.

The blonde recovers from her shock and settled with signing with just her right hand. *Hello, Father.*

He stands by her bed on the right side. “A colleague of mine was the doctor who performed surgery on you. He informed immediately of the situation when he recognized your name. I canceled the meeting I was to be a part of and flew here as soon as I could.”

She is genuinely surprised he would do something like that. After Layla passed away, he was consumed by his work and would forget all about his daughter. He missed birthdays and important matters that concerned Lucy. After all, the last time the two saw each other was the day she left.

But now wasn’t the case. 

She stops herself from signing with both of her hands. She can’t use her left arm because of the IV. This isn’t going to work. The blonde needs her phone to communicate. Or even the notepad and pen she had earlier when she was with Atlas. Her eyes grow wide with surprise. Atlas! Where could the copper-haired man possibly be?!

Jude hands his phone to his daughter, a note app opened up and ready. 

She types away, finding this much easier to use. When the blonde finishes, she shows him the screen. 

‘I’m just surprised you’re here is all. I wasn’t expecting you to be here. I thought someone else was going to be here actually.” 

The dark blond looks at her with gentle eyes. “When I was told my daughter was in the hospital and there was a possibility of death… I suppose I was shocked to the core. I already lost my wife.” He pauses for a brief moment. “I’m not ready to lose my daughter.”

She types some more.

‘It’s going to take more than appendicitis to take me down.’

He softly chuckles. “I suppose you’re correct. That seems to be the case now.”

Lucy isn’t sure what to type now. She hasn’t seen or even had contact with her father in years. She remembers him as a harsh man who put his work before her. Now things have changed around. Changed for the better it seems. 

“Lucy,” Jude says suddenly. 

She looks up at him. 

His dark eyes are glistening. “I have missed you.”

She smiles back and sets down the phone, holding her arms out. 

The dark blond gladly stoops down to embrace her, being wary of the IV. They simply hug it out. But it’s more than that to the blonde. So much more. 

Jude pulls up a chair and they start chatting. The topic is now about her book series. The dark blond has purchased the entire trilogy when each book was released and has read through the books more than once. He liked keeping up with her even if she didn’t know about it before. 

“I always thought Erik and Kinana would be together by the end of the series,” he muses. 

Lucy types on the phone before showing him the screen. 

‘I planned on that too. But something happened in my life and I totally changed Erik’s intentions. But it did work for the series and to complete it.’

Suddenly, she grimaces at the pain in her stomach, clamping her eyes closed. 

“Pain?” Jude asks. 

She nods and opens her eyes. 

“I’ll get you a nurse.” Then he stands up. “You need rest anyways. It’s after six and I’m assuming your sleep schedule has been thrown off.” The dark blond leaves the room and returns not much later with her registered nurse who has a dose of morphine. “You’ll go right to sleep with this,” the woman says as she prepares to inject it into her IV. 

“Lucy, I have assigned a trusted interpreter to you,” Jude says. “She is on her way here now actually.”

The blonde feels the liquid rush into her bloodstream, cooling her whole arm. 

“I’ll also get your phone to you,” he adds.

She’s already feeling tired and fumbles with the phone to type Atlas’ name because he has her phone. Lucy manages to hand off the phone to her father before her arm falls onto the bed. 

“Atlas?” he questions with confusion. 

She weakly nods, her eyelids feeling heavy.

The dark blond notices the rapid change in her. “Sleep well, little one.” He smiles softly. “You are mine and Layla’s pride. All I want is that you live strong down whatever path you believe in. I hope I can see you again soon. Lucy… I’ve always… loved you.”

Then her world turns black and all sound slips away…

x-X-x

In dreamland, the little blonde is out playing in the garden with her father. Layla is seated a table nearby, drinking tea and watching her family.

Lucy peeks out from her hiding spot, not seeing a sign of Jude. She stands up in order to run to another spot, but is caught.

“I have you now, little one!” the dark blond laughs from behind her. 

A smile lights up her face as she is lifted off her feet and spun around. She’d be squealing with delight if it was possible for her. 

Jude sets her down on the ground gently and crouches so he is level with her. “Are you enjoying yourself, Lucy?”

She nods eagerly and signs, *I am having a lot of fun!*

He smiles. “I would expect nothing else from you.”

*But now you have to catch me!* And with that, the little blonde scurries away, heading for her mother. 

“Don’t think you can escape from me, little one!” he calls after her. 

She grins from ear to ear and only runs faster. 

Layla holds out her arms for her daughter. “Come to me! I will protect you, Lucy!” 

The little blonde reaches her before Jude can catch her once more. 

The two adults are laughing away while Lucy is smiling so much her cheeks hurt. And in this moment, she feels happiness. 

Pure happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I like this chapter myself! I especially like the dream sequence at the end. Seemed like a nice touch. After all, Lucy does have happy memories of her past. 
> 
> A/N Part 2: The last thing Jude says to his daughter before she falls asleep is from the anime/manga! It seemed like a nice touch in this case!! :3
> 
> papayacha: Yay, I’m happy you’re enjoying this fic :3 Was what happened between Lucy and Jude what you were expecting? I thought it didn’t seem too bad of confrontation!


	24. Chapter 24

When Lucy comes to, she discovers she’s not alone. A certain pinkette is with her, snoring against the bed. He’s sitting on the chair her father used before while his upper torso is resting on the bed. With his head towards her, he’s holding her right hand with his left, being gentle because of his cast. 

“He insisted upon being here for whenever you woke up,” an unfamiliar voice says. 

The blonde looks over and sees a young woman wearing a maid uniform. She has pink hair cut in a short style and vivid blue eyes. She is seated on the couch, sitting upright and proper. She was so quiet, Lucy had no idea she was in the room as well. 

“Hello, Princess,” the newcomer greets. “My name is Virgo. I am your personal interpreter.” 

So this is who her father was talking about. And Princess? Where did that nickname come from?

The pink-haired interpreter gestures to a nearby outlet. “Your mobile has been returned and is charging. I also have a pad and pen over here for you to use if you like. There are two other men who identified themselves as Igneel and Atlas who wish to see you. Because I only allowed one visitor for you while you rested, this one”-she nods at Natsu-“wanted to see you first. I am unsure where the other two are at this moment in time.”

Lucy can’t use her left arm to sign without bending her elbow and Natsu is holding her right hand. So she settles with just smiling at Virgo. 

She nods in return, understanding the circumstances. 

The blonde looks back at her boyfriend and uses her left hand to gently play with his hair. 

He twitches in his sleep and nuzzles his face against the sheets. “Luce…” he mumbles.

She can’t help but smile. She had no idea he talks in his sleep. Then again, she’s only shared a bed with him one another time while she was out of state for her book signing. The blonde tucks that piece of knowledge away, not sure if it will come in handy or not.

“Princess, how are feeling?” the pink-haired interpreter inquires. “Is the pain tolerable?”

She feels lethargic and the pain is bearable for now, but fine nonetheless. She is able to use her left hand to sign “okay” using her fingers. At least she’s able to do that that much.

“Your nurse informed me you will probably want pain relievers before you rest for the first few nights while you are here.”

Nights? Lucy was hoping to go home soon. Like maybe sometime tomorrow. Not after a few nights. Since she can’t bend her arm, she settles with using her left hand to fingerspell the word phone. 

Understanding what she means, Virgo stands and grabs the charging phone. She walks over to the bed and hands it off, waiting patiently while the blonde types a message with one hand. 

‘A few nights? I didn’t think I’d be in here that long!’

“Because your appendix burst before surgery, the puss inside of you needs drained away,” the pink-haired interpreter explains. “I believe your stay will be less than a week.”

A week! Sometime less than seven days! That seemed far away considering it was only the first day. Lucy checks the time on her phone, discovering it’s almost nine-thirty. She also notices she has unread texts. 

She starts with the one from her father. He must have entered in his contact information because she didn’t have it before. 

Jude Heartfilia: I love you, little one. I will visit again. I promise. 

The blonde smiles at the sweet little message and changes the name from “Jude Heartfilia” to “Father”. She likes it more. Then she reads through the other texts, all of them from her friends. Natsu must have told them about her situation because in their own ways, they all say they are worried about her and will visit when they can. Of course, most of the texts were from Gray. 

Suddenly, the pinkette twitches and cracks open his eyes. He bolts into a sitting position when he makes eye contact with Lucy. He blinks away the tiredness from his eyes and grins, squeezing her hand lightly. “Hey. You’re awake. That’s good.”

She smiles at him and goes back into her note app to type. 

Natsu notices she’s using her left hand and lets go of her right one so it’s easier for her to type. “Whoops, sorry ’bout that.”

She finishes typing and shows him the screen. 

‘It’s nice to see you too. Also, it’s going to be hard to sign because of the IV in my arm. I can’t bend it all that much.’

“Make sure ya don’t use it all that much,” he comments. “Don’t need ya messing it up somehow.”

She nods, wanting the needle to stay in its rightful place inside of her her vein. 

x-X-x

The door opens up and two familiar faces enter the room. Igneel walks inside first with his younger brother following after, a huge balloon then trailing behind him. It’s a big blue elephant with green grass and foliage by its feet. 

“Hey, just us,” the red-haired man says with a smile. 

“And we got you the store’s biggest balloon,” Atlas adds, setting the green foil weight down on the floor so it’s off to the side. 

*Love it,* she signs, using just her right hand. 

“She loves it,” the pinkette translates just as Virgo says, “The princess loves it.”

The Dragneel trio looks at the blonde. “Princess?” they all ask in unison. 

“Are ya seriously royalty?” Natsu adds in a serious, excited tone.

She shakes her head at the ridiculous idea of her being actual royalty.

“She is Jude and Layla Heartfilia’s daughter,” the pink-haired interpreter explains. 

The two grown men stiffen at the names. 

“Jude and Layla?” Igneel asks. 

“Heartfilia?” the copper-haired man gulps. 

Oh. So they did recognize her parents. 

“What’s so wrong with that?” the pinkette asks. 

The red-haired man facepalms. “You’re so dense at times.”

“Musta learned that from ya,” Natsu counters smoothly. 

Atlas chuckles. “Good comeback.”

“Her father is a business man and owner of the Heartfilia Enterprise,” Virgo clarifies. 

Recognition sparks in his dark green eyes. “Hey, I recognize that name!” Then he does a double take at his girlfriend. “That’s your dad?!”

Igneel whacks him upside the head. “Not so loud,” he scolds. 

He rubs away the sting with his good hand, sending a glare in his father’s direction. 

The copper-haired man starts cracking up. “Oh wow.”

“What?” the pinkette asks. 

“Just look at how the two of ’em,” he replies, motioning to his nephew and Lucy. “He’s in a cast and she’s in a hospital bed. The both of ’em are all broken and hurt.”

The idea is amusing. Days ago, he broke his wrist. Now she’s in the hospital because a very serious matter could have ended her life. But they’re both alive and that’s what counts.

Natsu shrugs. “Eh, we’re both okay. That’s what matters.”

The blonde nods in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m sooo sorry for not updating sooner D: But here y’all go!! This was kinda like a filler chapter. The balloon bit was from my own experience XD My uncle asked for the biggest balloon Kroger had and it was that blue elephant balloon haha! It was great :3
> 
> papayacha: I thought it was a good moment to have! And yes, Jude being all fatherly is a wonderful version of him!!


	25. Chapter 25

Tuesday afternoon, the blonde is in her hospital room with just Gray. He’s sitting on the chair while she’s still lying on her bed. Virgo is taking a break because Lucy insisted upon it multiple times and the interpreter was only comfortable leaving because the person staying knows sign language. The pinkette was much harder to convince, but he’s back at home to shower and relax. He only left because the dark-haired guy swore he’d watch over Lucy. 

“You’ve got to be bored out of your mind,” Gray comments. 

She nods as she flips through the television stations. Nothing interesting is on so she settles with turning it off and looking at her honorary brother. 

“You look better at least,” he compliments. 

‘I don’t feel a whole better,’ the blonde types into her phone to show him. 

He reads it. “Yeah, I bet. But you’re not letting this thing kick your ass. You’re toughing it out.”

Someone knocks on the closed door.

“You’re good,” the dark-haired guy says. 

It opens up and Juvia steps inside with a bouquet of lovely blue roses in a blue vase. “Hello, Miss Lucy. Juvia came by–” Her eyes fall on Gray and she blushes. “H-hello, Mr. Gray!” 

He stands up. “Hey, Juvia. What brings you here?”

The blonde rolls her eyes at his denseness. 

“Miss Erza informed Juvia about Miss Lucy’s condition,” she answers, finding a spot to put the vase down. “Juvia wanted Miss Lucy to have time to adjust before Juvia visited.”

“And blue roses?”

The long-haired bluenette smiles. “It is Miss Lucy’s favorite color!” Then she looks at the blonde as she walks over to stand on her left side. “And how is Miss Lucy feeling?”

She uses the phone to type a response and holds it out when she finishes. 

‘I’ve been better. And thank you for the roses. They’re so pretty!’

It does make the blonde happy Juvia remembered her favorite color. 

There’s another knock on the door and her current registered nurse strolls into the room. “It’s time for me to check your vitals. Then later somebody will change out your gauze.”

Lucy is used to it by now and lets the woman do her thing. The dark-haired guy steps around to where Juvia is so she has room to work. 

“So how long are you going to be here?” Gray inquires. 

The blonde ignores the sensation of the thermometer in her right ear. 

“Juvia isn’t sure,” she replies. “Juvia at least wants to spend some time with Miss Lucy before Juvia leaves.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“Juvia is surprised Mr. Natsu isn’t here,” the long-haired bluenette comments. “Juvia thought for sure he would be with Miss Lucy.”

“I’m giving him a break,” the dark-haired guy explains. “He’s been here since Sunday.”

Juvia clasps her hands together. “That is so romantic! Mr. Natsu must care deeply for Miss Lucy!” 

When the nurse pulls the thermometer away, the blonde notices her reaction. It’s different from all the other times someone has checked her vitals. The woman glances at the digital instrument before look at her and back again at the thermometer. “Let me check one more time…” Sure enough, it’s back in her ear.

“Flame Brain is still head over heels for her,” Gray chuckles. 

Now the duo are talking like Lucy isn’t even in the room, but she doesn’t mind. She’s actually enjoying their conversation. 

“Mr. Natsu was very protective of Miss Lucy when Juvia first saw him. It was very precious. Juvia wants to have that some day!” 

“You can handle yourself though,” the dark-haired guy points out. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask–” He stops talking when the nurse sets down the digital instrument abruptly. “Something wrong?”

She begins removing the sheets off of the blonde. 

“Okay, what’s going on?” he inquires, feeling uneasy. 

“She’s spiking a fever,” the woman replies, taking off the hospital socks from her feet. 

Fever? Lucy feels fine. If anything, she feels cold now because the sheets and socks were removed. 

“I’ll be back with ice packs.” Then the nurse hurries out of the room. 

“Why didn’t Miss Lucy say something was wrong?” the long-haired bluenette asks. 

She starts typing on her phone to reply.

“Because she’s mute,” Gray jokes, attempting to lighten the mood. 

The blonde smiles at his sense of humor and holds out her phone for them to read. 

‘I feel fine. I don’t even feel any fever.’

When the woman returns, she packs Lucy with frozen gel packs from under her armpits to other regions. “I’ll be back in a bit,” she says before leaving once again.

The dark-haired guy cracks up at the scene. “You look so pathetic!” 

Juvia gasps. “That is not a nice thing to say about Miss Lucy!” 

The blonde merely sends a warning look his way. 

Now it’s Gray’s turn to gasp and he pulls out his phone to check the time. “Ah shit.”

“What is it, Mr. Gray?” the long-haired bluenette inquires. 

“It’s on the hour. Flame Brain will be expecting a photo update.” He looks at Lucy. “And if he sees her like this…”

“Oh, what if Mr. Gray resent another photo?”

He shakes his head. “He’ll notice.”

“What about waiting until Miss Lucy’s fever had gone down?”

“It could be too long–”

The dark-haired guy’s phone goes off because of a text. 

His eyes grow wide with fear. “Shit, he knows! He’s got a sixth sense or something!” 

The blonde thinks back to when the pinkette mentioned his Natsu sense tingles when he feels something is wrong with his girlfriend. Now she’s starting to wonder if it’s a real thing after all.

“Just send him a photo, Mr. Gray!” Juvia encourages. 

Lucy stars laughing, hugging the pillow against her torso to apply pressure like she was told to do. She needs to press it against her stomach when she coughs, sneezes, or even laughs. The scene in front of her is all too funny. He’s panicking and she’s telling him what to do. To add to things, her bed is squeaking because she’s laughing. That makes her laugh, not to mention hurt, even more. 

Gray takes a picture of her. She may be covered in ice packs, but she’s smiling. “Annnd send…”

“That should be good enough, right?” the long-haired bluenette asks. 

Sure enough, his phone starts ringing. 

“Ahhh fuck.” The dark-haired guy holds it up to his ear. “Hey, Flame Brain–” He holds it away from his ear and presses speaker so the yelling isn’t next to his ear. 

“–is wrong with Luce?! What’s with all of those damn ice packs?! Is this some kinda prank?!” Natsu speaks in a calmer voice. “She’s laughing at least, which is good and bad all at the same time.”

“She has a fever, Mr. Natsu,” Juvia says. 

Lucy busies herself with writing a message on her phone. 

The pinkette is quiet for a moment before bursting out. “A FEVER? I LEAVE HER ALONE WITH FROSTBITE AND SHE SPIKES A DAMN FEVER?!”

Gray has multiple nicknames depending on Natsu’s mood. Ice Princess is always a go-to one. When it’s Frostbite, Natsu isn’t happy with him. And when he actually uses Gray’s name, things are deadly serious. 

“It’s not my fault she did,” the dark-haired guy bickers. “No way you can place the blame on me!” 

“I left her in your hands! Ya had one job and blew it!” 

The blonde gets her body guard’s attention and holds out her phone. 

“Mr. Natsu, listen to this,” the long-haired bluenette says, taking the phone in her hands. “Miss Lucy has a message for you.” So she starts reading the words. 

‘Natsu, I feel fine. Really. I don’t even feel the least bit sick. So don’t worry about me! And don’t blame Gray! He’s been doing a good job watching over me and keeping me company.’

Silence falls over the room. 

Gray stares at his phone and glances at Lucy before looking back at his phone. 

“Just sit tight, Luce,” the pinkette says. “I’ll be there soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I’m sorry for the delay! I’ve been working on other fics and work has been busy. Anyways. Guys!!! This is the 25th chapter I have posted for RPRT! Like woooooow!! I can’t believe the story has come this far (so far) and has received such positiveness :) I had no clue things would be the way they are on because this was supposed to be a one-shot. The fact that this is the first fic I have published makes it even more special! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH :D
> 
> A/N Part 2: Omgggg. In this fic, it’s a Tuesday in September. It’s actually the 15th according to the timeline I have for RPRT. That’s what today actually is! Oh wow! That’s awesome haha XD
> 
> papayacha: Fluff chapters are always good I think! :3 I may have him pop up again. He and Natsu still need to meet after all!!


	26. Chapter 26

As soon as the pinkette arrived, he shooed Gray and Juvia away before shutting the door. Now that the couple is alone in her room, his dark green eyes take her in. “All of the ice packs are gone,” he comments on a positive note. 

‘The nurse took them away not too long before you got here,’ the blonde types into her phone, and shows him the screen when she finishes.

“That wasn’t a pretty sight to see.” Natsu takes a seat and scooches it closer to the bed. “So how are ya holding up?”

She types more and shows him. 

‘I’m not cold anymore. And no more fever. Even though I never felt like I had a fever.’

He smiles a bit. “That’s good.”

‘Was your shower nice?’ Lucy writes. 

“Still getting used to the cast.” He makes a face. “I don’t like it.”

‘At least that’s all you have. You could be in a hospital.’

“Yeah, that’s true–” Suddenly, the pinkette’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. “Shit!” 

Her heart skips a beat at his outburst. 

He jumps to his feet, fumbling for the nurse call button and pressing it. Then Natsu rushes to the other side of the bed to mess with the IV stand. “Where’s the damn off button?” he grumbles to himself. 

The blonde notices his eyes flicker over to the IV connected to her arm. She looks down and would scream if she could. Her IV has been pumping the fluid into her and not into her veins. Her bicep looks bloated, slowly blowing up like a balloon. 

The door opens and the nurse strides in. “What’s wrong?”

The pinkette does a lot of pointing. “IV. Her arm. Help!” 

The woman gets to work and fixes Lucy right up. “The swelling will go down so don’t worry about it at all. You’re IV was doing well so we kept it in. Typically they don’t stay in after a few days, but yours did.” With things settled, there’s a new IV in the bend of her right arm. “And since I’m here, it’s time to change your gauze. I’ll be back with what I need to sit tight.”

Changing the gauze wasn’t her favorite process. And this time, Natsu was around to witness it. Maybe she would ask him to leave… 

When the nurse returns and gets ready for the change, the blonde preps. She keeps her sheets around her hips to hide her underwear before lifting her hospital gown to reveal her stomach. The right side of her waist has a patch of white gauze tapped down against her skin. 

Standing rigid, the pinkette watches the woman remove the tape and pull up the gauze. As soon as he sees red, he immediately blanches and hurries into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

“He must have a weak stomach,” the woman comments as she performs her task. 

Lucy knows that’s far from the truth.

After everything is over and the blonde is covered back up, the nurse announces, “You can come out now.”

The bathroom door slowly opens and Natsu pokes his head out, eyes still closed. “Ya sure?”

“She’s all good,” she assures. “Nothing to see.”

He opens his right eye, checks of the coast is clear, and then opens his other one. “That’s good.” Then he walks into the room, shutting the door behind him. 

The blonde rolls her eyes dramatically, eyelids feeling heavy. Maybe it’s time for a nap now that everything has been taken care of. She’s rather tired. 

“Call if there’s anything else.” With that, the nurse leaves. 

Lucy looks at her boyfriend, finding he’s standing in place. He hasn’t moved an inch since he left the bathroom. Now she’s starting to get worried about him. 

The pinkette rakes his fingers through his hair and heaves a sigh. “It’s really weird seeing ya like this. I don’t like it.”

She merely shrugs in response. It’s not like she can do anything about it. 

He walks over to chair and sits back down on the edge of it. Avoiding his cast, he places his good hand on her right hand and gives it a little squeeze. “I can handle all of the blood and guts from videogames and movies with no problem. But now that you’re involved, I feel like I’m gonna puke. And things are worse because I can’t do a damn thing to help ya out.”

She shakes her head and uses her left hand to point to the IV. 

“Okay, so I helped out there.”

Then she holds up her phone, hoping he understands what she means. 

“And I had dad call for help while I was on the phone with ya.”

Nodding, the blonde sets her phone down on her lap and places her left hand on top of his right. 

With a small grin, Natsu lightly lowers his other hand on top. “I win.”

That gets a smile out of her. 

“I like it when ya smile,” he says. “Ya seem more like Lucy when ya smile.”

She could say the same about him. His signature smirks and grins are just so typical of him. 

“I bet you’re gonna be smiling a whole bunch when ya finally bust outta here,” the pinkette jokes. 

Rather than smiling some more, she yawns and uses her left hand to cover her mouth. It’s weird being able to bend her left arm again, but now she’ll have to adjust not being able to use her dominate arm as much as she’d like due to restrictions. 

“Hey, do ya need to rest for a bit?” he asks. “You’re looking pretty tired.”

Lucy nods. 

“Rest up then.” He leans forehead to smooch her forehead. “I’ll be here when ya wake up.”

She smiles and uses her left hand to sign “I love you” with her fingers, leaving her pinkie, index finger, and thumb straight while the other two are curled down. 

Natsu smiles and uses his good hand to sign the same thing. Then he presses his hand against, finger tips to finger tips when possible for each of their three fingers. “Forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just some good ol’ NaLu fluff with some scare XD Kinda like a filler chapter, but a chapter nonetheless! (I’m tired so my dyslexia is really bad, but I still wanted to post a new chapter for this! If there are really bad mistakes when I check it over tomorrow, I’ll fix it for sure).
> 
> papayacha: Aww, thanks! :3


	27. Chapter 27

Sure enough, when the blonde wakes up, Natsu is by her side. He’s still in the seat, leaning back while he’s on his phone. 

She clicks her tongue to get his attention. 

He looks up and grins. “How ya doing, sleepy head?”

Lucy looks down at her lap for her phone, but doesn’t see it. 

“Oh, I’ll get it.” The pinkette stands up and goes over to where her phone is. While she’s sleeping or napping, someone plugs it in to charge while she’s not using it. They’ve been good at making sure her phone has battery life. 

Rather than tossing it to her like he normally would, Natsu hands it to her. 

She goes under her note app and starts typing. When she finishes, she shows him the screen. 

‘I’m still tired. But napping was nice.’

While he reads, something from behind him catches the blonde’s attention. It’s a grand bouquet of beautiful flowers. That wasn’t there when she fell asleep. 

She uses her phone to write more and quickly shows the pinkette her message. 

‘Where did the flowers behind you come from?’ 

“Oh, your old man swung by,” he replies nonchalantly. “He wanted to check on ya and bring ya ’em.”

She blinks. Her father visited again? He stopped by while she was napping? Was Natsu in the room when it happened?!

“We ended up chatting for awhile. Less than an hour really. Pretty much the whole time while ya were out.” Then he grins. “Don’t worry, I behaved.”

Her heart is about to give out. Her boyfriend and her father actually met. And she didn’t do a single thing because she was asleep the whole time!

“Neither of us wanted to wake ya up. We know sleep is really important for ya now.”

Well. The pinkette is still alive so that has to be a good sign. Right?

His green eyes look her over. “He’s still worried about ya. Even now with the care you’re getting. He just wants ya to be okay after all of this is over. No more scares with your health and all.” He scratches the back of his head. “I may or may not have mentioned the ice pack and IV scares ya gave us. Err, me. The scares ya gave me.”

Lucy uses her left hand to form the first letter of the alphabet and makes clockwise motions in front of her well-endowed chest. 

“Hey, don’t say you’re sorry.” He shrugs. “Couldn’t be helped.”

She apologizes again before lowering her arm to use her phone to type. When she finishes, she shows him the screen. 

‘I want to try walking. I did earlier when just Gray was here, but I want to try it again.’

She wants to change the subject and make Natsu not feel so bad about things. 

“Let’s do this thing!” With new energy, he takes her phone from her and sets it down on the chair he’s not using. After removing the sheets, he merely stands back to watch. He already knows not help out unless she asks for it. 

Being in a propped up position gives the blonde a good start. She maneuvers the best she can before her legs end up over the side of the bed, feet dangling over. She’s nearly worn out just from that, but keeps going. She edges closer to the end before her feet finally touch the ground. Now she’s glad she has a pair of clean hospital socks back.

“Ya can do it!” the pinkette encourages. 

With her pouch in her right hand, Lucy reaches for the IV stand and uses it for support. Meanwhile, she keeps the pillow pressed against her stomach like she’s been instructed to do. 

“Woo, high-five, Luce!” Natsu holds out a hand, but then realizing both of her hands are occupied. “Uh, maybe later,” he says as he lowers his arm. 

As the blonde slowly steps towards the door, he opens the door for her and waits patiently. She eventually makes her way past him, and he grunts. “Hold on.” His hands get busy at the back of her hospital gown. “I gotcha covered, pinkie.”

Her face flushes. Pinkie. He must have seen the back of her underwear.

It hasn’t crossed her mind until now. Maybe she should have someone go to her home and grab a new pair of underwear and some toiletries. She’ll have to text Levy later and ask for a favor before she visits another time.

The pinkette lightly taps her butt, rather than slapping it like she’s some football player. “Go get ’em tiger.”

This time, Lucy wants to go further than she did before. Just so she can push herself a little. It’s taking baby steps to get there though because of her slow pace. At her halfway point, she’s feeling good about things. So good that being back in bed sounds great. 

“You’re just chugging along,” Natsu says as he keeps up on her left side. 

She gives him a look. 

“Hey, I’m serious. You’re making a lotta progress. When ya first got here I bet ya didn’t even think about getting outta bed.”

She nods. Since then, the days have almost morphed together. The blonde has been glad to have her phone to keep track of how much time has passed. Her thrown off sleep schedule hasn’t helped either. 

When she reaches her goal, she stops and turns around to see a familiar face waiting by her room.

“Yo, what’s up, cousin?” the pinkette asks when he sees her too. 

Wendy smiles sweetly, holding a yellow balloon with a smiley face on it. “I just wanted to visit Miss Lucy.” Then she looks at her. “You seem to be doing very well!” 

She merely smiles because her hands are still occupied. 

“Luce is doing great and getting some exorcise,” Natsu says. 

The dark-haired bluenette lights up. “That’s fantastic!” 

The two cousins idly chat while the blonde continues walking and makes it to her room. She eases herself back into bed carefully, grateful to be off her feet.

Without being told to do so, the pinkette covers her up with the sheets and laying her phone on her lap. Then he hands her something her nurse gave her. It’s a mini sponge on the end of a stick that’s flavored like lemon.

Lucy gives him a look. 

“C’mon, Luce,” he says. “This is something ya can have.”

She takes it from her boyfriend and starts sucking on it. The flavor reminds her of the hard lemon candies she would have all the time when she was little. 

“Do you know how much longer you’ll be here, Miss Lucy?” Wendy asks. 

She shakes her head. 

“The puss still hasta drain outta her,” Natsu says. “Could be a few more days. She shouldn’t be here more than a week at the most.”

The dark-haired bluenette nods. “I’m sure you will be more excited for her to be discharged then she will.”

The pinkette smiles down at his girlfriend. “Ya have no idea…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Of course Lucy missed her father being there because she was napping XD I missed an aunt of mine when she visited because I fell asleep :P So that’s where that idea came from. Ugh, and that walking around really wore me out! But it’s a huge sign of progress. 
> 
> papayacha: Thank you! I’m actually dragging out this hospital arc because I’m trying to line up what I want to have happen when Lucy is finally free XD But also, this arc shows how much people care for her. They’re taking the time to visit. Especially Natsu. Lucy had to practically kick him out of her room for him to go home while Gray stayed with her.


	28. Chapter 28

The next day, Lucy can feel her mind slipping away. She’s tired of the hospital room and is growing restless. She isn’t entirely sure how long she’s been in the room and has to use her phone to check the date. It’s only her fourth day, but it feels more time has passed. 

“Hey, I got an idea,” the pinkette says suddenly. 

“What is it?” Virgo asks from her spot on the couch. 

“We could play War!” 

War? The blonde can’t recall the last time she played that game. 

“Do you have a deck of cards?” the interpreter inquires, standing up to walk over. 

“Yep!” The pinkette grabs the bag he packed by his feet and rifles through until he finds what he’s looking for. He takes out the cards and starts shuffling. “Hey, move that table over here, Virgo.”

She grabs the stand on wheels and swings it around so the table part is hovering over Lucy’s lap. Then she sits down in the extra chair that was recently added to the room.

“Oookay,” Natsu says, cutting the deck into three sections and passing them out. 

“Knock, knock,” a familiar voice says, rather than actually knocking on the propped open door. 

The blonde looks up and sees Levy and Gajeel. What catches her attention the most is what he’s holding. It’s a pink Peeps plush bunny with three black dots to make the face. It totally resembles the well known sugary sweet, but on a much bigger and plushier scale. 

The short-haired bluenette holds up a little bag with handles. “I brought you some things, Lu.” Then she giggles. “And he’s got something special for you.”

The sight is quite odd to see. The intimidating man shouldn’t be holding something so cute. Then again, it’s like how some people think he and the petite girl are an odd match of one another. 

The pinkette bursts into a fit of laughter. 

“Can it, Flame Brain!” the black-haired guy barks. 

“Make me, Lug Nuts!” he challenges.

“No fighting in front of the princess!” the interpreter scolds. 

Levy nudges her boyfriend. “Well. go on.”

He steps towards the blonde and holds out the plush. “I saw this and thought of ya.”

She smiles and takes it, swapping out the other pillow for this one to keep against her torso. *Thank you!* she signs, using a free hand to bring her fingers to her chin before extending the motion out.

He cracks a grin. “You’re welcome, Bunny Girl.”

“Oh, what are you all playing?” the short-haired bluenette inquires as she steps closer. 

“War!” the pinkette replies. “Wanna play?”

“Gihi, prepare to get your asses kicked,” Gajeel chuckles, a certain gleam in his eyes. 

x-X-x

Lucy cracks open her eyes and looks around. The scene is much different than she last saw it. Only she and her boyfriend are in the room with no one else to be seen.

He must have noticed her movement because he looks up from the book he’s reading. A smile forms on his lips. “Well, look at who decided to wake up.”

She’s confused because she has no clue what’s happening. Just a second ago everyone was here and playing War. 

“I’ll tell ya a little secret…” Leaving the book open in his lap, he cups his hands around his mouth for extra emphasis. “Ya fell asleep in the middle of the game, ya weirdo.”

Her eyes grow wide with surprise. Did she really do that?

“At some point we all saw ya were getting ready to nod off,” Natsu explains. “But then one round ya never put down a card and we all knew ya were down for the count.”

The blonde doesn’t even remember feeling tired. It all must have happened quickly. 

“It’s okay,” he adds. “No one blames ya. Still recovering after all.”

She nods in agreement, and looks for her phone. It’s away from her and charging. 

“Ya didn’t nap long,” the pinkette says, bringing her attention to him. “Maybe like forty-five minutes or so.”

She looks at him before folding her hands together and opening them up to sign for “book”.

His green eyes look down at the pages in front of him. Then he glances back at her, looking guilty, like he’s been caught red-handed. “Oh, this? Ya wanna know what I’m reading?”

Lucy nods. It’s been more than a month since they first met, but she’s never seen him read a book. He hardly ever read the directions on boxes and packages when he tried cooking something. 

Natsu’s hesitant. “Promise ya won’t laugh?”

She blinks. Why would she laugh to begin with? It’s not like she’ll make fun of him for reading. She merely settles with nodding. 

Taking a deep breath, he slides his bookmark in place and holds up the front of the book to see. It’s the most recent novel she has published. 

Her left hand smacks over her gaping mouth. She’s in utter shock. 

“Did I break ya, Luce?” he jokes lamely. 

*My book,* she manages to sign. *That’s my book.*

His lips form a sly smirk. “Well, I bought it so that makes it my book.” Then he grabs his phone and hands it to her. “Use this. I don’t wantcha messing up your IV again.”

She settles with using it to type and showing him the screen when she finishes. 

‘But why?’

“It’s important to ya so it’s important to me!” he replies simply, like it makes the most sense in the world. 

The blonde can’t help but smile at her him. He’s more than she ever could have hoped for a boyfriend. Then something dawns on her. If he’s reading the third book to the series, that must mean he read the other two. 

“I still think the first one is my favorite though,” the pinkette says, as though he read her mind. Then he quickly adds, “But don’t get me wrong, the other two are great too!”

She’s amused at his reaction and writes some more.

‘Really? You think so?’

“Duh!” 

It’s almost surreal that her boyfriend is reading her series. She never thought he’d pick up a book let alone something she published!

“Oh, and don’t go spoiling the ending for me,” Natsu warns. 

Lucy grins, hoping he won’t see the twist coming. Then again, she’d be very surprised if he did. She uses the phone to type some more. 

‘Hey, Natsu?’

“Yeah?”

‘You’re important to me.’

That has him grinning from ear to ear. Grabbing the book, he stands up and leans towards her to press his lips to her forehead. “You’re important to me too, Luce.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologize for the delay! Work has been busy and I started writing a new NaLu fic that I have yet to post! Anyways. Guyssssssss. I made it to 245 Followers and passed 150 Favs! And, not to forget, have received more than 180 Reviews! LIKE WOOOW. Thank you all so much :D
> 
> papayacha: Then there’s that XD I can add all of the fluffy moments I want with this arc!
> 
> EmFergs: OMG THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY :D


	29. Chapter 29

Saturday afternoon, Lucy is home. After six days of being away, she is finally home. She should have been home yesterday, but the doctor couldn’t make it to stitch her up. So when her pouch and gauze were removed, she was stitched up and released. Of course, the trio of Dragneels was there to assist and get her home. 

Now the blonde is snuggling her boyfriend on the couch while he’s lying down on his back and her back is against his torso. They just ate a meal Natsu cooked so both of their bellies are full. He practiced cooking when he was at his house with his family helping him out. He wanted to make sure everything tasted right before he let Lucy have a single bite. Obviously the practice paid off. The blonde ate as much as she could before she was stuffed. 

Now she’s drowsy and trying to fight off sleep. She wants to spend actual time with the pinkette since he’s here. 

“Tired much?” Natsu teases. 

She shakes her head, trying to deny the evident truth. She’ll only be able to deny it for so long before she actually does drift off to sleep.

He smooches her head. “I think it’s time ya went to bed, sleepy head. It’s been a busy day for ya.”

This time she shakes her head in protest. 

“Oh, so ya just wanna fall asleep on me instead?”

Grabbing her phone, Lucy opens the note app and starts writing. When she finishes, she makes sure he can see the screen.

‘I’ll sleep when you leave. I want to be with you since you’re here now.’

Suddenly, Natsu yawns obnoxiously loud before speaking a monotone voice. “Oh wow. I am tired. Maybe I will take a nap right here since I am sooo comfortable.” Then he grabs her phone and sets it on the floor, not wanting it to fall off of her later and make noise that could potentially wake her up. He wraps his arms around her torso, being wary of where her stitches are, and gets comfortable. The pinkette starts humming ‘You Are my Sunshine’ and that’s what does it for the blonde. 

Finally giving in, she cuddles up and closes her eyes, slowly drifting off to dreamland. 

x-X-x

The blonde wakes up with a start, her heart beating erratically. It’s the very same dream she had while being unconscious through surgery. She removes then and now vividly with details. In dreamland, it was a post apocalyptic setting where humans had a strange strain of rabies that made them a threat. They weren’t undead zombies, but they still were kind of mindless and attacked unaffected humans for food. She, Natsu, and their friends were fighting for the lives in that horrible universe in hopes they would survive. 

Maybe she could take her dream and write a book about it, changing some things here and there of course. 

But now her mind is elsewhere. Lucy isn’t in the place she fell asleep. In fact, she’s in her bedroom. It may be dark, but she can see because her bedroom is cracked open, allowing light from the hall to spill inside. She didn’t wake up total darkness. 

She smiles softly. Natsu had managed to get her into bed without disturbing her slumber. Then he left her door cracked with light just in case she woke up and it was dark out. He did that just so she wouldn’t wake up and panic at not knowing where she was. 

Clearly he was the best boyfriend ever.

The blonde manages to accomplish the simple task of sitting upright after a slight struggle. With her feet hanging over the side of the bed, she finally stands. The whole thing was a progress and needed to be taken step by step so she didn’t hurt herself. She reaches over to turn on her nearby lamp and sees her phone charging on the table. 

It’s flashing a little green light, letting her know there are notifications and alerts she needs to check. She grabs it, discovering the pinkette must have muted it while she was sleeping, and checks it. There are a text messages, most of them from Natsu. She decides to check those first. 

Natsu: Igneel and Uncle Atlas needed me for a thing so I had to leave :P I didn’t just abandoned ya. Promise!

Natsu: IT WAS A TRAP

Natsu: HELP ME D:

The last text was sent a couple hours ago around seven so she hopes he’s alright. She moves onto what her petite best friend wrote. 

Levy: Hey, Lu! Gajeel told me Natsu told him you’re out of the hospital. I’m happy for you. I’ll try and find time to visit you soon! Take care until then xoxo

She smiles and writes up a response. 

Lucy: It’s great to be back! I’ll let you know when will work. Natsu has pretty much claimed dibs on being with me when he can XD

The blonde reads another text from someone dear to her. 

Gray: Glad to hear you’re out of the hospital. Let me know if you need anything, sis!

Her thumbs press against her keyboard while she texts back. 

Lucy: Thanks, bro! I’ll try and not be too needy though haha.

There’s one rather long text message from Jude that catches her attention. Of course, she opens it up to read.

Father: Hello, little one. Your doctor informed me you were released early today. I hope you are adjusting wells since you have been discharged. Also, do not worry about your hospital stay and medical expenses. I will be taking care of that. I am hoping that when you are feeling well, we can spend time together. 

She planned on paying off the bill by herself that she figured would easily be a couple thousand dollars. Of course, now would be the time Jude told her he was going to pay it all. If he mentioned something while she was in the hospital during one of his visits, she would have rejected his help. Actually, she probably would have rejected any help if anyone tried offering it. 

Small tears form in her eyes as she responds. 

Lucy: I would love that, Father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I’m sorry it’s been a while since I updated! Work hasn’t slowed down a bit :P And I went to the Ohio Renaissance Festival with the boyfriend yesterday :) Plus, I’ve been working on another fic called More Than a Princess (the first 2 chapters are already out!). I guess y’all can say I’ve been busy XD
> 
> A/N Part 2: This chapter was more a filler than anything else. I finally decided to end the hospital arc~ Which means the next part will be coming up :D
> 
> A/N Part 3: That dream Lucy had is a story idea I have lined up XD It’ll be FT based with a focus on NaLu, of course ;)
> 
> papayacha: I THOUGHT IT WAS A NICE TOUCH TO ADD :3


	30. Chapter 30

Close to a week later, Lucy has improved a great deal from when she first arrived home. Currently, she is sitting down at her desk and playing around the dream idea she has had since the hospital. She is working on it get to get it out of her system, taking a small break from the idea she and Erza have been working on. 

Much to her surprise, her phone goes off, letting her know someone texted her. Then it goes off again by the time she reaches to grab it. Finding they are from her boyfriend, she opens them up to read.

Natsu: Luceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Natsu: I have a special mission for you!

She is already interested.

Lucy: What is it? O-o

Natsu: Nope. I can’t fill ya in on it unless ya accept!

The blonde debates for a moment. She has no idea what he is planning. It should be safe, but knowing him and his antics, it is probably crazy. 

Lucy: I’m in. 

Natsu: Great!!

Natsu: Lemme give ya the address…

Sure enough, the next text from him is an address. It doesn’t seem like some place special since she recognizes the street. 

Lucy: Do I need to wear anything special?

Natsu: Not really ??? 

Natsu: Don’t wear a skirt or dress actually!

It’s an odd request, that’s for sure. But she rolls with it.

Lucy: Alright, I’ll be over in a bit.

x-X-x

His red jeep is parked in the driveway so the blonde knows she is at the right house. She pulls up in front and parks her car, before shutting of the engine and getting out. She heads for the door, wondering what her boyfriend could possibly be doing here. Is there where Atlas lives by chance?

Lucy steps onto the front porch and knocks on the door.

When it opens up, a little girl is on the other side. She has dark green locks styled in a braid with bangs that frame her face and dark purple eyes. Her attire reminds the blonde of a cowgirl, complete with an orange hat that has a yellow band around it. 

Her eyes grow wide. “Wooow! You must be Lucy! You’re even prettier than Natsu said!” 

So apparently this child knows who she is because of her boyfriend. But why does he know her?

The little girl grabs at Lucy’s hand and tugs her inside. “C’mon! C’mon!” After she pulls the blonde into the entry way, she turns around and closes the door, locking it. 

“Asuka, was that her?” Natsu asks, his voice coming from another room. 

“Yeeep!” she giggles before skipping towards him. 

The blonde merely follows after her, still unsure about the situation. 

They walk into the kitchen to discover the pinkette standing by the stove, stirring something around in a metal pot. He looks over and makes eye contact with his girlfriend, knowing she has his attention. “Hiya, Luce!” 

She uses both arms to sign “what’s happening?” to him.

“Remember the day you were discharged and I said my family needed me for a thing?”

She recalls the texts he sent about the matter. 

“Well, it was a trap. Apparently my old man set me up to babysit for friends. Now I’m at it again, but needed backup this time!”

“Papa and Mama are out on a date so Natsu is watching me,” the little girl adds. 

And he needed backup to watch a child?

“Hey, I already know what you’re thinking,” the pinkette begins, turning his back to the stove. “Believe it or not, Asuka is a bundle of energy and she wore me out last time. I figured if I had you this time, I’ll be better off!” 

She merely rolls her eyes at his logic, finding it amusing. 

He pouts. “Don’t gimme that lo–”

The pot foams over, causing the flames to hiss. 

“Gah!” He goes back to stirring. 

The little girl tugs at the hem of Lucy’s dark red shirt. “Can I show you my horsies?”

She nods in reply. 

So Asuka takes her hand and leads the way before saying, “Don’t burn anything while we’re gone, Natsu! Papa and Mama won’t like that!” 

The blonde cracks a grin. 

“Maybe I’ll burn your portion of pasta…” he mumbles under his breath. 

The duo walks into the family room and approach a toy chest that looks like a barn. The little girl opens it up and starts talking out plastic horses one by one, going through each of their names and breeds. She even talks about their coats and the special names they have. The pair ends up sitting on the carpeted floor, pretending the horses are part of a herd. 

Lucy is glad she can makes sounds with lips, coming close to sounding like a horse. On the other hand, Asuka is excellent at varies whinnies and neighs that are dead on. 

Suddenly, the little girl gasps. “Oh! I forgot to do something earlier!” Then she scooches closer to the blonde and gently kisses her right cheek. Then, for extra good measure, she kisses the other one.

Needless to say, Lucy is surprised by the gesture.

After pulling away, Asuka smiles big. “Natsu said your voice is broken and you can’t talk so I kissed you so you feel better!” 

The blonde can’t help but smile at her thoughtfulness. She ends up grabbing the little girl and hugging her tightly.

“Hehe, I like you too, Lucy!” she squeals with delight.

“Din din is ready!” the pinkette shouts. 

“Yay! Let’s go!” Asuka helps the blonde up onto her feet and holds her hand, leading the way into the kitchen. “We gotta wash up before we chow down!”

Now with clean hands and a set table, the trio sits down. Natsu helps serves the pasta with red sauce and meatballs, filling all three bowls. 

Things click in place for Lucy. It’s like they are a little family. The only member they are missing is Happy to fill the role of pet. 

“Hey, if we had Happy here we’d be set,” Natsu says, as if reading her mind. 

The blonde feels her face heat up from embarrassment and takes a bite of pasta to occupy herself. 

Thinking it’s precious, he chuckles at her reaction. 

She shoots him a look, hoping he’ll stop. 

He merely smiles back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: Well look at that. Another filler chapter. I’m figuring out what arc to write about next! I have a few lined up, but I’m thinking about the order I want them to happen in!! 
> 
> A/N Part 2: I have an announcement to make! *ahem* Through the supportiveness and encouragement of my boyfriend, we created a Patreon Account for me!! He knows I want a second job so I can increase income, but if that happened I wouldn’t be left with much free time to write. Anyways, feel free to check it out and help support me if of you like my writing! I don't want to push or force anyone to donate because I want you lovely people to make the decision yourself to help support me and pledge! Now don't worry, I'll still be posting on here as regularly as I do. However, I may have bonuses and extras on my Patreon Account should all go well!
> 
> A/N Part 3: Anyways. WE MADE IT TO CHAPTER 30! WOOOOOO :D Thank you all so much for the attention RPRT as received ^-^
> 
> papayacha: Yay, I’m glad you do :3


	31. Chapter 31

“Faster!” Asuka squeals with delight. “Go faster, Mr. Horsie!” 

The pinkette would be on his hands and knees with her on his back, but his cast prevents him from doing that. So instead she is up on his shoulders as he skips around the room. Lucy is watching the whole thing from the couch. 

“Are you having fun, Mr. Horsie?” the little girl asks. 

Natsu gives his best impression of a whinny, keeping up with his horse persona. Asuka has already instructed he cannot talk like a person because he is a horse. 

“Yay,” she laughs, and then gasps. “Whoaaa, Mr. Horsie!” 

Natsu skids to a stop, looking at his girlfriend for help. He is not sure how much longer he can survive playtime. Then he mouths the words “help me” to her. 

She ends up shaking her head, slightly enjoying his suffering.

“I want to play another game!” the little girl says. 

The pinkette bends down so she can hop off. “And what’s that?”

Without a word, she skips over to her toy chest and pulls out toy pistols. “Cowboys! I want to be the good guy though!” 

Chuckling, Natsu grabs the toy when she hands it to him. “Guess that makes me the bad one, huh?”

She nods. “You came into town to try and take Lucy from me!” 

He blinks. “But she’s mine!” 

“Not so fast!” Asuka raises the toy pistol and fires, hitting him right in the forehead. 

“Hey!” he protests. 

She merely shoots him again before running away to hide behind something. 

The pinkette glances at his girlfriend, a sly grin forms on his lips. “I’m here to take ya away, lil’ missy!” He lunges before she can react and slings her over his shoulder with ease. 

Now she is glad she is wearing jeans and not a dress or skirt. The blonde playfully hits his back with loose fists, kicking her legs around a bit. 

The little girl gasps. “I’ll save you, Lucy!” She fires the toy and hits her target: his chest. “Let her go!” 

Natsu cackles loudly. “Never!” He raises the pistol, barely missing on purposing. 

x-X-x

At the end of the battle, the pinkette is lying on his back in defeat with the toy no longer in his hand. Asuka is standing over him, both pistols aimed down at him. On the other hand, the blonde is kneeling by his right side. 

“Tell Happy… I love him…” he says weakly before closing his eyes and going limp. 

The little girl beams. “I saved you, Lucy!”

Since she cannot talk, she settles with clapping to show her appreciation. 

Without warning, Natsu pops up and grabs Asuka. “I gotcha now!” Then he starts tickling her, pulling her into his lap. 

Squeals erupt from her mouth as she tries squirming to escape the torture. She even drops the toys without realizing it. 

“Do ya give up?” he asks, slowing down his hands. 

“N-no!” she replies, attempting to catch her breath. 

The pinkette continues the tickle attack.

Thinking quickly, the blonde grabs one of the pistols and fires it. The toy bullet bounces off of her boyfriend’s forehead. 

He freezes and stares at her. “Did ya just… ?” But his voice trails off from shock. 

She merely shoots it again, hitting her target once more. 

Natsu sets the little girl down and manages to get a hold of his girlfriend. He wraps his strong arms around her and drags her into his lap. “You’re in timeout mode,” he grumbles. 

“Awww!” Asuka says, and then giggles. “Do you two kiss?”

Lucy is a little stunned she would ask such a question. 

“Kiss?” the pinkette asks like he misheard her. 

“Papa and Mama do it all the time,” she adds. 

He shrugs. “It makes sense they would.”

She points a finger at Natsu. “I order you to kiss her!” 

The blonde’s face heats up. Sure, they have kissed before. Lots of times. But typically they did not do it in front of others. Especially when someone requested it! There was one time they were on the couch kissing and Igneel strolled into the family room, not meaning to interrupt. Then he asked when he should be expecting the first of many grandkids… 

“Hey, Luce?” the pinkette asks. 

She turns her head to look at him and finds a pair of soft lips on hers. He keeps it quick and chaste because of their audience before pulling away. 

“See?” he asks. “Luce and I kiss all the time.”

The little girl squeals with delight and claps her hands. “Yay!” 

On the other hand, the blonde is slightly frazzled from the interaction. She did not think he would actually do it!

“Hey, can we watch a movie now?” Asuka asks. 

“Whatcha want?” Natsu inquires. 

Her eyes light up. “Spirit!” 

x-X-x

Halfway through the movie, Lucy is the only one who is awake. The pinkette is slumped over, leaning against her left side and softly snoring. Half of the little girl’s body is using the blonde’s lap as a pillow. Lucy has since taken off her cowboy hat and set it off to the side. 

The animated movie is called Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and really is not that bad. At least it is interesting enough for the blonde to watch. 

Suddenly, the garage door starts opening and a vehicle pulls inside. 

Lucy slightly panics. She is not sure if her boyfriend told Asuka’s parents she would be over. In fact, she does not even their names!

Two people walk into the family from the door that connects to the garage. The man has spiked up, black hair with a little tuft at the front of his hairline and black eyes. While bangs frame her face, the lower half of the woman’s long light green hair is braided and she has dark eyes. It is easy to see they are a good fit to each other. 

“Looks like she’s down for the count,” the woman muses softly. 

The man nods and approaches the couch. “I’ll take her off your hands.” Ever so gently so he does not wake her, he picks up the little girl and carries her way. 

“Did Natsu really rope ya into helping him out?” the woman asks as she turns off the TV. 

Only when she is looking at her does the blonde nod. Then she works at waking her boyfriend up. 

“Oh, we can talk now,” the woman says. “By the way, I’m Bisca and Alzack is my husband. I’m not sure if Natsu mentioned that or not.”

“Five m’re min’es…” the pinkette mumbles and wraps his arms around Lucy, snuggling into her breasts. 

Her face heats up from embarrassment and she shoves him off of her. 

He lands on the floor with a thud and bolts into a sitting position. “Wha? Wha’s goin’ on?” he asks in a rather loud voice. 

Lucy holds a finger to his lips, hoping he did not wake up Asuka. 

The woman cracks up. “I definitely wasn’t expecting that!”

“Expecting what?” Alzack asks as he walks into the room. 

Natsu looks at the married couple. “Since when did ya get home?”

“Just now,” Bisca replies. 

“Babysitting was a success,” the pinkette reports, standing up. Then he jerks a thumb back at his girlfriend. “I even brought backup because there was no way I was gonna last round two with Asuka.”

“Is that what ya kids call it nowadays,” the woman jokes. 

“Huh?” Natsu tilts his head to the side. “Whatcha mean?”

The blonde stands up and gets his attention before she starts signing. *I will tell you later.*

He looks confused. “Did I do something?”

*I will tell you later,* she signs again, using exaggerated hand movements to get her point across.   
“Oh, shit. You’re mad at me.” His eyes grow wide. “Did I say something while I was sleeping?”

“What’s happening?” the man whispers. 

“I’m not really sure,” his wife replies. 

That snaps Lucy back into reality. She faces the married couple and uses her left hand to form the first letter of the alphabet. Then she makes clockwise motions in front of her well-endowed chest. 

“She’s apologizing,” the pinkette translates. “But I ain’t sure why.”

“Oh, you’re fine, honey,” Bisca assures. 

“Whelp, I guess it’s time we get going,” Natsu says.

Alzack smiles. “Thanks for helping out tonight. We’ll make sure to let you know if we need help again.”

“And feel free to bring along back up again,” the woman adds. 

The pinkette takes his girlfriend’s hands and leads her way. “Until next time I s’pose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I mean to update sooner, but work/life have been so busy!! (I’ve also been excited to write my other fic called More than a Princess! It seems people really like it so check it out if you haven’t already!) So y’all get another filler before the next arc kicks up! Just some more time with Asuka that mirrors what’s happened before when Natsu and Lucy babysat her. And this time, no Happy to ruin the kiss XD By the way, that movie Asuka put in was one of my favorite movements when I was little XD I’d rewatch it right after it ended haha. So I thought I’d add it in here just for kicks~
> 
> A/N Part 2: By the way! I just created a Facebook page yesterday if y'all want to check that out! You can find me looking up my username, RayreeAnne. I still have fix it up though :P
> 
> papayacha: I liked the filler so much I added another chapter to it XD The next arc is coming up though, I promise!


	32. Chapter 32

Around two o’clock the next day, Lucy and Gajeel are finally at the mall. She assures him she was feeling better and up for helping him out. But now she has to help him out before they can actually start ring shopping. 

“Maybe we should come back another day…” he says, standing completely rigid as he looks at the store. 

The blonde grabs a hand of his with both of hers and fails at attempting to drag him forward. He does not budge an inch. She huffs and gets behind him, throwing her body into him to shove him along. His feet stay planted to the ground. So she settles with standing in front of him, hands on her hips. 

“What if Shrimp says no?” the black-haired guy asks. 

She merely rolls his eyes in response at that ridiculous idea. There is no way her petite best friend would turn down the love of her life. 

“What if–”

Lucy points a finger at him. Then she swings her body sideways to point at the store across from him. 

“Fine. I nominate ya to lead the charge inside.”

Keeping her stance, the blonde firmly stomps a foot on the ground. 

Finally giving in, Gajeel takes a deep breath and steps forward. 

The duo makes it inside the store and become surrounded by cases full of shiny and sparkling jewelry. Neither of the two really knows where to start. 

“Can I help you two out today?” a voice asks from over to the left. 

They turn to see a girl with long, pretty lavender hair tied up in a ponytail with a red ribbon and oval glasses. She looks at the pair with her dark eyes. “Is there something you’re looking for?”

“Engagement ring,” the black-haired guy replies. 

The worker smiles and looks at Lucy. “You must be excited for this.”

She immediately holds her hands up and shakes her head. 

“This is my girl’s best friend,” Gajeel clarifies to clear up the confusion. “I dragged her along so I don’t fuck this up.” 

“That’s a great plan. Anyways, my name is Laki Olietta and I’ll be helping you both out today. Is there something specific you have in mind?”

“It’s gotta be silver,” the black-haired guy responds, having learned things from the one standing next to him. “No gold or anything.”

“Is there a certain style?” the lavender-haired girl continues. “Or cut?”

Gajeel panics. He has been trying to do online research about rings so he understands questions like this. “Uh, something pretty.”

She looks at the blonde for help. “Is there anything you have in mind for your friend?”

Lucy holds up a finger and takes out her phone to go under the note app to write. 

“She’s mute so she doesn’t talk much,” the black-haired guy explains. “I don’t know much sign language or I’d translate.”

The blonde eventually holds out the phone for Laki to see.

‘Silver band. Probably vintage style. Swirly. Not halo style. Maybe a round cut. Diamond. Nothing super flashy.’

“I can work with that,” the lavender-haired girl says, then looks around the cases. “Let’s start over here. And while I look, feel free to point anything out if something catches your eye. Alright?”

“Sounds good,” Gajeel grunts. “By the way, I’m Gajeel and she’s Lucy. Shri-Err. Levy. Levy’s the one we’re shopping for.”

The trio gets started. The duo stands on one side of the case while the worker is on the other.

“Do either have you happen to know the ring size?” Laki asks. 

Lucy holds up her left hand and points to her own ring finger. Then she holds up four fingers, tucking her thumb against her palm. 

“Four,” the black-haired guy responds. “They both the same ring size. So if we need to see how it’ll fit, we can use her.”

“I’ll keep that in mind as we look. Four is actually an unusually small size for an engagement ring so I will have to double check whatever you pick out comes in that size.”

“Hey, can you take that one out?” Gajeel asks. “Third row, second one over.”

With a nod, the lavender-haired girl opens up the case. “Just so you know, I can only take two out at a time.” She picks up the ring and holds it for him. “Feel free to take it.”

Careful so he does not drop it, he holds it gingerly. It looks extremely tiny in his large hand. “Whatcha think, Bunny Girl?”

She shrugs. It may be pretty, but she is not super impressed with it. She knows her petite best friend would love anything her boyfriend gave her as an engagement ring. 

“How about this one… ?” Laki asks as she reaches inside the case. 

x-X-x

“Thanks for helping me out, Bunny Girl,” the black-haired guy says as they leave the store. They were successful in choosing a ring they both agreed on. Lucy was the one who picked it out and he knew it was the one the moment he held it in his hand. Luckily, it came in the size they needed. 

The ring itself was silver and exactly what Levy has talked about what she wants in an engagement ring. It swirls and connects in a lovely way that just flows well. It is not super flashy, but still has the right amount of sparkle to it. The diamond will complete the look, and the duo will come back to pick that out another day. 

Now they are heading to the food court. 

“So they’ll call me when they have the diamonds in,” Gajeel reiterates. “I’ll text ya because I’m hoping you’ll come with me. I seriously need help picking one out.”

The blonde nods, eager to help out. She is happy for the couple and excited her petite best friend has no clue this is going on. She is certainly going to be surprised when her boyfriend finally pops the question!

Rather abruptly, the black-haired guy stops dead in his tracks. “Is that… ?” But his voice trails off before he finishes the sentence. 

Lucy looks where his eyes are and sees what he is talking about. She never would have guessed those two would be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Taaaaadaaaaaaa~ Lucy and Gajeel had like a BrOTP moment XD I can dig it. I decide Levy (not to mention Lucy) have a ring size of 4 since that’s my size. Which is how I knew a 4 is super small for an engagement ring! The guy helping us forgot and we were lucky the ring my boyfriend and I chose could be ordered in a 4! Anywaaaaaays. I think y’all can guess who Gajeel and Lucy have spotted!


	33. Chapter 33

The black-haired guy cups two hands around his mouth. “Juvia! Over here!” 

As she and Gray are heading in their direction, the long-haired girl stops walking at the sound of her name. The dark-haired guy stops too because they are holding hands. Her dark sapphire blue eyes look around before she spots Lucy and Gajeel. She smiles and tugs Gray along. 

Something clicks for the blonde. How do they know each other? She is positive they were never in her hospital room at the same time. 

“What are ya doing in town?” the black-haired guy asks when the pair approaches him and Lucy. 

“Juvia visited Miss Lucy while she was in the hospital,” she replies, coming to a stop. “Juvia ended up staying a little bit longer though.”

“Ya know Lucy?” he asks. 

“And you know Juvia?” the dark-haired guy questions. 

“Juvia is Miss Lucy’s body guard because she is an author,” the long-haired bluenette explains. “Juvia knows Mr. Gajeel because we have been friends for a long time.”

The black-haired guy stands up straight, looking menacingly. “So what are the two of ya doing?” 

“Nothing,” Gray replies casually. “Just hanging out.”

His red eyes drop to their hands. “A date?” he grunts. 

“Juvia is having a wonderful time, Mr. Gajeel,” she assures him. “Mr. Gray is wonderful!” 

Pink tints his cheeks. “I dunno about that…”

Lucy smiles at her brother, simply happy that he is happy. She has been hoping for awhile now he could find someone that made him feel like this. 

“So what are you two doing here?” the dark-haired guy questions.

The black-haired guy folds his arms across his chest. “What? Something wrong with me hanging out with Shrimp’s bestie?”

The blonde uses both hands to sign, knowing her brother can translate. *We are on our way to the food court.*

Gray nods, having watched her movement. “Going to the food court? Nice. We’re stopping by one more store before we go there.”

“We could go now,” Juvia says, looking at him. “Juvia would love to eat with them.”

Lucy knows that look in her brother’s eyes. He was hoping to eat alone with her. After all, it has just been the two of them. *How about we do a group date later?* she signs.

“Group date, huh?” the dark-haired guy muses. 

The long-haired bluenette smiles. “Juvia has never been on a group date! Juvia would love that!”

“Like Juvia and Ice Princess, Bunny Girl and Flame Brain, and Shrimp and me?” Gajeel asks. 

The blonde nods. 

“I don’t see why not,” Gray says. 

“When shall we do this?” Juvia inquires. 

*Natsu doesn’t have work tomorrow,* Lucy begins to sign, already knowing his schedule. *We could do it tomorrow.*

“Tomorrow works for Lucy and Flame Brain,” the dark-haired guy informs the others. “I’d be free then.”

“Juvia is available,” the long-haired bluenette says. 

The black-haired guy nods. “Shrimp has the day off and I don’t have plans.”

Juvia’s face lights up at the possibility the group date will work. “Juvia is excited! Oh! What shall we do?”

“We need something the six of us can do for starters,” Gray begins.

Gajeel starts listing things off. “Bowling? Mini golf? Swim–”

“Juvia would love to go swimming!” the long-haired bluenette eagerly interrupts, not meaning to be rude.

He grins. “I figured you’d want that.”

“There’s REC place not too far from here,” Gray offers. “Could do that.”

“Or go to a real indoor water park…” the black-haired guy says. “There’s one a bit more than an hour away from here.”

*Mermaid Heel?* the blonde asks. 

“She wants to know if you mean Mermaid Heel,” the dark-haired guy translates.

“Yeah, that’s the place.” Then Gajeel looks at his longtime friend. “It’s a hotel with a pretty sweet indoor water park. Ya don’t hafta be staying there to get in though.”

Juvia’s eyes are practically sparkling now. “Juvia says we do that!” 

It has been some time since Lucy went swimming. She is definitely up for it if friends come along! *I will ask Natsu about it.* 

“She’ll ask Flame Brain which means”-Gray looks at the bigger guy-“you ask Levy today when you’re done hanging out with Lucy.”

He flinches. “Wh-what? Ask Shrimp? Today?” He breaks a sweat. “But I ain’t ready!” 

The two that are still holding hands immediately notice their friend’s strange reaction. “Are you alright, Mr. Gajeel?” the long-haired bluenette inquires. 

The blonde uses an arm to jab his side, hoping to snap him back to reality. 

“Dude, what’s with you?” the dark-haired guy asks. 

“Uh, n-nothing,” Gajeel grunts. “Nothing at all, Ice Princess.”

He gives his sister a certain look. 

She merely shrugs in response. 

“Shall we plan on going to Mermaid Heel tomorrow?” Juvia asks, changing back the topic. 

Gray nods. “We’ll have to pick a time to meet up and drive together. We should be fine taking two cars.”

*We can pick drivers later,* Lucy signs. 

“Pick drivers later, got it,” her brother says so the others know.

The long-haired bluenette bounces on the balls of her feet. “Juvia is really excited!” Then she gasps. “She has nothing to wear to swim in! Juvia did not think to pack her swimsuit when she decided to visit, Miss Lucy!” She looks at the dark-haired guy, pleading with her eyes. “Mr. Gray must help Juvia find something to wear!” 

“Whoa, why me-Gah!” He is already being dragged along.

The black-haired guy heaves a heavy sigh. “Thanks for saving my ass back then, Bunny Girl. I totally blanked when he said I had to ask Shrimp.” He looks down at the blonde. “Ya haven’t told anybody, right?”

She zips her lips shut and throws away the key. She plans on keeping her promise and not telling a soul. 

He half-grins. “Thanks. Now c’mon. I need some grub.”

Lucy nods in agreement. 

They begin to walk towards the food court. 

“I’m buying so get whatever ya want. Ya helped me with Shrimp and saved my ass from Gray all in the same day. Total lifesaver.” Gajeel glances down at her. “Thanks.”

She merely smiles in response, not bothering to type on her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Taaaaadaaaaaaaaa. Many of you guys guessed Natsu and Levy, but it was Gray and Juvia. I wanted a lil’ Gruvia moment since they’re a fave OTP of mine <3 And the group date to a water park totally just happened. I didn’t plan on that happening, but now I’m gonna make it happen! I’ll try and fit some NaLu fluff in that moment. After all, it’ll be the first time Natsu sees Lucy in a bikini… ;)


	34. Chapter 34

Now at home, the blonde checks her phone once again. Natsu still has not replied to her texts about the triple date idea. She sent it while waiting in line at the food court and still nothing. This is not his typical behavior. He is always good about checking his phone just in case she texts him.

She tries distracting herself by writing, attempting to focus on her work. Lucy does not make it far along before she ends up grabbing her keys and hopping in her car. Her ride ends once she parks in front of Natsu’s house and gets out. Her boyfriend’s jeep is in its usual spot inside the open garage along with his dad’s.

The blonde simply walks up to the front porch and opens the door. All of the Dragneels have insisted that she just walks on inside. Using the doorbell or knocking does not exist for her. After closing the door behind her, Lucy starts slipping off her heels. 

Igneel pokes his head around the corner. “Oh, hey, Lucy.” 

She waves at him. 

“Natsu didn’t tell me you were swinging by,” he says as he walks over to her. “Then again, as soon as he got home he disappeared upstairs and hasn’t come down since…” the red-haired man pauses. “Is he okay?”

She is not sure herself if he is or not. The blonde shrugs before reaching for her phone to let him know what she knows. 

“Ya don’t need to explain,” Igneel says. “Just go check on him, okay?”

With a nod, Lucy heads for the staircase that will take her to his bedroom. She has never been inside it before, but she knows which room is his by what is on the door. A drawing he did as a child is still tapped to the wood. It is of a dragon breathing fire with “Natsu’s Room!!” scrawled out across it.

When she opens the door, the blonde’s eyes nearly pop out of her head when she sees the bedroom itself is incredibly messy beyond belief. Clothes are strewn everywhere from the floor to furniture. Used dishes are pilled around in different places and trash is left forgotten.

“Not now, Igneel,” Natsu says, his speech muffled. 

She turns her attention to the bed where he is lying down with a pillow covering his face. Rather than leaving, she steps inside and closes the door behind her. 

The pinkette sighs as he removes the pillow to sit up. “Dad, I said–” His eyes grow wide with surprise. “Luce?” His cheeks turn pink. “Uh, whatcha doing?”

She holds up her phone and wiggles it. Then she uses a finger to point at him. 

He tilts his head to one side. “My phone?”

The blonde nods before she starts signing. *Are you mad at me?*

“Mad? Why would I be mad at ya? I don’t think I’ve ever been mad at ya.”

*So why are you ignoring my texts?*

He opens his mouth to speak, but words do not come out. He settles with averting his gaze and scratching the back of his head. 

She is so going to get to the bottom of this. Careful not to trip over anything, Lucy makes her way to the bed to be closer to him. Her boyfriend sits cross-legged to give her more room and he holds the pillow in his lap. She ends up mirror-imaging his position. 

*What’s going on?* the blonde signs. 

Natsu sighs loudly. “Look... I saw ya ring shopping with Lug Nuts…”

She hopes he does not have the wrong idea like she did when she saw him and Lisanna together. Or even when he thought she and Gray were a thing. 

“I think it’s great ya went with him…” the pinkette continues. 

Then why has he been ignoring her texts if he feels that way?

“But don’t ya think it’s too soon?”

She is confused. Soon? She wished Gajeel would have gone ring shopping sooner!

“We’ve only been dating for more than a month after all.”

Things click into place and Lucy silently laughs. 

Now Natsu is the confused one. “What’s so funny? Weren’t the two of ya ring shopping?”

She nods. 

“And Gajeel was helping ya?”

She shakes her head. 

The wheels in his mind turn before things become clear to him. “Wooow. I’m an idiot.” The pinkette laughs at himself. “Such an idiot.”

The blonde figures she really did not break her promise to Gajeel because her boyfriend found out all on his own. Even if it was by accident. At some point she will have to make him promise not to tell anyone now that he knows.

“I totally thought ya brought Lug Nuts to help ya shop for a ring for me,” Natsu says. 

*Not the case,* Lucy signs. 

“Good.” Then he grins. “Because I’m gonna be the one to buy the engagement ring in this relationship.”

Her face heats up once her brain registers what he said. They have not even been dating for two months yet and he was confident enough to say something like that?!

The pinkette chuckles. “Your whole face turns red when you’re embarrassed.”

She whacks his left shoulder with her right hand, still frazzled by his words from before.

A mischievous glint sparks in his eyes. “Ya totally just declared war.”

Before the blonde can react, Natsu pounces and tackles her onto her back. His fingers immediately tickle her sides, causing her to spasm. She kicks wildly and attempts to use her hands to get him away. The pinkette straddles her hips and uses his right hand to restrain her wrists above her head. Then he uses his free hand to tickle her, being wary of the cast. 

Lucy would be shrieking if she had a voice. Instead, her facial expressions and tears show how she really feels. Natsu just does not know how much her stomach and cheeks hurt from all of the laughing and smiling she is doing. 

His fingers slow, and the blonde’s chest heaves as she inhales and exhales. “Do ya surrender?” he questions. 

She rolls her eyes. 

“I said, do ya”-he tickles her some more-“surrender?”

Lucy tries squirming away, but to no avail. He has a grip around her wrists and is using his body weight to keep her pinned. She will not be able to go anywhere unless he lets her. 

The pinkette smirks. “You’re so stubborn, Luce,” he says, tickling her other side. 

The blonde bucks her hips, hoping to get him off of her. Instead, Natsu freezes as he looks down at her. “Luce…” he whispers. 

The atmosphere changes and it dawns on her how compromising their positions really are. She gulps. 

Ever so carefully, the pinkette lowers his torso until he is on top of her, but not crushing her with his body. He looks at her, dark green eyes filled with love and a hint of something else. Then he smooches her forehead before he gently pecks her nose. His lips barely brush against hers, causing a tickling sensation.

The blonde’s breath hitches and her eyes flutter closed as their mouths work together. Natsu lightly nibbles on her lower lip before tracing over it with his warm tongue. She takes the opportunity to angle her head and slip own tongue inside of his mouth. Then she tugs her arms free so she can run her fingers through his locks. 

Grunting with satisfaction, the pinkette shifts positions and applies weight to his right arm as he uses it to lean on. His other hand slips around her waist and keeps her close to him. After he wins the battle of dominance with his tongue, their mouths part so they can refill their lungs. 

Natsu dips his head down and starts peppering the right side of her neck with kisses. He slows his pace, making it all the more sensual. Then he works his way along her jawline before claiming her mouth once again. 

Without warning, the bedroom door opens up and the couple immediately looks over as Igneel pokes his head inside. He does not look the slightest embarrassed. “Whoops, don’t let me ruin the grandkid baby making process. Carry on!” With that, he shuts the door. 

Lucy covers her red face with her hands, wishing she could disappear. 

“I’m gonna murder him,” the pinkette growls. After a moment, he chuckles. 

The blonde moves fingers aside to peek, finding her boyfriend looking at her with an amused expression. 

“C’mon, not like he caught us actually doing it,” he jokes. 

Her jaw drops open. 

He laughs before pecking her nose again. “You’re so precious!” Natsu wraps her up in his arms and rolls onto his back so they can snuggle, positive the mood from before has evaporated because of his dad. “And you’re all mine so it’s even better.”

Lucy tucks her head against his neck and cuddles up, happy things are better between them and there is no more confusion. After all, she wants tomorrow to go off without a hitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: From FFnet, Frost115 was the inspiration behind this because of a Review from Chapter 20! I have patiently been planning Natsu’s confusion since then!! I just couldn’t resist Natsu not mixing things up XD But the triple date will be coming up next. I just wanted to add this scene so y’all could have a laugh and some NaLu action~


	35. Chapter 35

Lucy puffs her cheeks out as she stares at her reflection in the mirror. Even though she is healing nicely, what is left of her dissolvable stitches is visible with her bikini on. Her matching top and bottoms are both white and have pink hibiscuses on them. Maybe she should have thought the water park date idea through…

“Yo, where are ya, Luce?” Natsu asks as he walks through the front door. 

He arrived sooner than she thought. Before he can see her like this, the blonde hurries as she slips into a tee and shorts. She is putting on sandals as her boyfriend opens her bedroom door. 

“You’re not s’posed to be out in the open for hide and seek,” he jokes. “Worst hiding place ever.”

She merely rolls her eyes and stands up straight. *Are you the first one here?* she signs. 

“Lug Nuts is on his way with Levy since we’re all riding in his SUV,” the pinkette explains. “Ice Princess and Juvia should be here soon.” He waggles his eyebrows at her. “Which means we got some alone time…”

Lucy crosses her arms under her chest and gives him a look. 

“I’m only kidding.”

Her posture relaxes. 

“Kinda,” he adds. 

The blonde walks up to her boyfriend and stands on her tiptoes to give him a quick smooch. 

“Aww, c’mon.” Natsu wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close. He gently presses his forehead to hers. “Is that it?” he asks in a rather husky voice. 

Sometimes he is just too tempting for his own good. 

Right before their lips meet, there is an interruption. 

“Hey, we’re here!” Gray shouts as he walks through the front door. 

The pinkette groans. “Not again.”

Lucy quickly kisses him before she grabs her purse and walks out of her room, her boyfriend trailing behind her. 

The dark-haired guy and Juvia are waiting in the family room, the two dressed and ready for some water park fun. 

“Juvia is so excited we are doing this,” she says with a smile. 

“It’s all you’ve been talking about,” Gray comments. 

“Am I missing something between those two?” Natsu whispers to his girlfriend. 

That is right. He has been left out of the loop between the blossoming future couple. He just knows the duo knows one another from that one book signing and visit at the hospital.

“Are the others going to be here soon?” the dark-haired guy asks. 

*They should be,* his sister replies. 

“Luce and I call the back of the SUV,” the pinkette says. 

She gives him a questioning look since that is news to hers. 

“I’m sure Gajeel want Levy riding shotgun since he’s driving.” Gray looks at the long-haired bluenette. “Which means you and I get middle.”

She nods. “Alright!” 

A horn blares outside. 

“Time to get going,” the dark-haired guy says. 

Natsu throws a fist into the air. “Woo, I’m all fired up!” 

x-X-x

When the group arrives at Mermaid Heel and they are all wearing bands that give them access to the indoor water park, Lucy takes everything in. This is her first time being here so she is looking at everything from the slides to the lazy river to the wave pool. She might even enjoy relaxing in the heated jacuzzi area. The smell of chlorine is everywhere and people seem to be having a lot of fun with what they are doing.

“Let’s find an area for home base,” Gajeel says as they make their way through the park. 

The pinkette takes his girlfriend’s hand as the group walks along before they find an area to keep their belongings and towels. They start stripping out of their clothes and kicking off their shoes so they can get in the water. 

Lucy catches a certain pair of green eyes staring at her. *What?* she signs. 

He opens his mouth to speak, but words do not come out. 

“Cat got your tongue?” Gray teases.

The black-haired guy waves a hand in front of Natsu’s face, but he does not even blink. “Did we lose him?”

Levy connects the dots. “Have you seen her in a bikini before, Natsu?”

He shakes his head from side to side.

This is his first time being able to admire her body and curves like this. He has seen her in shorts and a tank top before, but this is much less coverage from clothes. 

The blonde becomes self conscious and attempts to cover herself with her arms and hands. 

Some guys walk by, whistling and catcalling at the girls. Each guy has a different reaction. 

The pinkette glares daggers the whole time, managing to not say a single word. 

“The short one’s already mine so don’t even think about it!” Gajeel barks, arms folded across his chest. 

“Keep walking!” the dark-haired guy shouts as he steps closer to his crush.

“Miss Lucy, are you going to be alright with your stitches?” the long-haired bluenette asks, having noticed them. 

She merely nods in reply. *I’m healing nicely.*

“She’s healing well,” the short-haired bluenette translates. 

“So what are we gonna do first?” Gajeel asks.

“We can all go in the lazy river and wave pool,” Juvia offers. 

“Or race down some slides,” Levy adds. 

Natsu grins. “I’m always up for a race.”

The blonde rolls her eyes, almost positive he will try challenging someone a few times today. 

“The waves are going in the wave pool so why not start there?” Gray suggests. 

After they can all agree, the group walks over. 

The pinkette takes his girlfriend’s left hand with his right, keeping her close. He is already on the lookout for any other guys staring and ogling at her, gearing up in case someone tries making a move. He wants Lucy to enjoy herself and not have a guy flirt with her while he is around. 

The black-haired guy picks up his girlfriend and carries her into the water against her protesting. The long-haired bluenette practically drags her crush into the water, a huge smile on her face. On the other hand, the other couple waits in shin deep water. 

The blonde looks down and watches the waves lap against her. Then she smiles up at her boyfriend and uses her free hand to sign one word: happy. 

“Happy, huh?” He grins. “Good. That’s the way I like ya.” Then he leans over to smooch her lips. “Now let’s get going!” he says, tugging her along into deeper water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I MEANT TO UPDATE SOONER, BUT WORK/LIFE HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY D: Anyways. More to come with the water park, I promise. This just sets things up. 
> 
> A/N Part 2: GUYS!!! IT’S CHAPTER 35. LIKE WTF. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE-SHOT XD


	36. Chapter 36

Lucy surfaces and fills her lungs with the chlorinated air that is just everywhere in the water park, staying trapped because of the walls. She is in the deep end with the others and the waves are easily going above her head. The short-haired bluenette is clinging onto her boyfriend who is keeping her safe due to her lack of height. Juvia is thoroughly enjoying herself and the dark-haired guy is smiling just because she is smiling. 

Realizing a certain someone is missing, the blonde starts looking around for her boyfriend when a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind. The waterproof black cast is an obvious giveaway. Natsu leans forward to smooch her left cheek. “Boo.” 

She cannot help but smile. Then she looks over her left shoulder and smooches her lips together, letting him know what she wants. 

The pinkette gladly kisses her mouth with his, keeping it chaste because he knows how she feels about public display of affection. Then he steals another one from her. “Having fun?”

She nods eagerly. Gajeel certainly had a great idea suggesting Mermaid Heel for their triple date!

Noticing the incoming wave, Natsu hoists his girlfriend up so the water misses her. With a sly grin, he lets go so she splashes into the water, disappearing underneath it. 

By the time she surfaces, her boyfriend is nowhere to be seen. Lucy turns around, looking for his distinguishing pink locks, but cannot find a trace of them. In fact, she is not quite sure how he was able to disappear so quickly. So much for a quick revenge. 

A wave she was not expecting knocks her underwater and carries her away. She pushes off the ground only to bump into something that is blocking the surface: a plastic inner tube. The first thing she does is panic, scrambling for air. She ends up opening her eyes and looking with blurred vision, searching for to the other side so she can refill her lungs. 

Moving away from what is blocking her, the blonde presses her feet to the ground and breaks the surface this time. She immediately starts gulping for air, blinking away the water dripping down her face. Meanwhile, the person in the inner tube is completely unaware of what just occurred. 

“Luce!” The pinkette takes a hold of her, clutching her to his torso. “Hey, I gotcha.”

She clings onto his sturdy frame, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck. 

“I’m gonna getcha outta here so ya can take a breather.” With that, he heads to shore as he weaves in and out of people enjoying themselves among the waves. 

Her heartbeat is slowing down along with her breathing as she becomes calmer. Since she is facing the direction the waves are coming from, she keeps her eyes open so another one cannot sneak up on her again. She will know when to hold her breath this time.

Once Natsu reaches the shore, he simply strides over to home base. He is simply oblivious to any of the stares they are receiving. 

On the other hand, Lucy closes her eyes so she does not have to see anyone watching her. She does not like attention after all.

When they reach their spot, the pinkette takes a seat and gently rubs circles on her bare back. “Do ya want a towel?”

She shakes her head. 

“Take as long as ya need, alright?”

Soon enough, she feels much better. She pulls her head back to look at his face. 

He merely smiles at her, only now stopping the mini back rub. “Better?”

She smiles back. 

“Want something to drink?”

She nods. 

Natsu takes her waist and moves her to the side so he can stand up. He turns to face her. “Anything specific?”

“Natsu!” a cheery voice calls. 

The couple looks over to see a familiar face wearing a periwinkle bikini. 

“Lisanna?” he questions, clearly surprised to see her. “Whatcha doing here?”

“Having some fun at a water park. Duh!” 

“Oh, right.” He walks over to her and hugs her tightly.

For a split second, Lucy can see the duo as a couple. Now with that thought engraved in her mind, time seems to slow down. Is it a possibility that they used to date? She knows they are friends and the white-haired girl has been teaching him sign language when he asks for help. Is there more to them than she knows?

She slowly stands up and sneaks away. The blonde glances over her shoulder, noticing the two are so absorbed in their small talk that neither of them saw her leave. With no real destination, she strolls aimlessly with arms wrapped around her torso. Thoughts are racing through her mind as she over thinks the situation. 

Lucy really has not known her boyfriend for all that long in the grand scheme of things. After all, they are still learning about one another. Just recently she learned he is allergic to kiwis of all things. A few days ago, Gajeel was mocking him because his cat Panther Lily loves them, but the pinkette cannot lick one without breaking out into a rash. 

She manages to avoid two children before they can plow into her. She would tell them to not run, but she doubts they know sign language. The blonde sighs. Being mute really does have its disadvantages. 

But her boyfriend is learning it. He first started learning sign language so he could understand her and, most of all, ask her to be his girlfriend. He not only learned it for her, but for them. She cannot help but smile. He is caring and sweet. She is truly lucky to have him. 

Lucy thinks back to when they first met that fateful day. It really was the right place, right time for things to happen. Everything simply added up just so the two could meet. She is still sure of that now. 

Realizing how ridiculous she is being about this, she turns around only to end up smacking into a bare chest. Her jaw nearly drops at the sight of the person that is steadying her with his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not gonna lie, I haven’t come up with an arc after this water park. I do have the last arc planned out, but I was hoping to add more in between…


	37. Chapter 37

“Wow!” Dan exclaims, a huge smile on his face. “What are the odds of us being reunited like this, Lu Lu?” 

She flinches, unwanted memories already coming back to her. Too bad Juvia is not here to handle him like she has in the past. 

“So I’m here on vacation,” he says, arms slipping around her waist. “What are you here for?”

The blonde merely glares in response. Even if she could talk, she would not waste a single breath on him. 

Dan shrugs. “Oh well. Doesn’t matter. We’re together again and that’s what matters, Lu Lu!” He hugs her tightly, lifting her off her feet in the process. 

She pushes her hands against his chest and kicks her legs around, making it clear she does not want this. 

“Hey, I got an idea! Let’s go on some slides together!” Rather than letting her walk on her own two feet, he simply carries her away. 

“Let her go, you fiend!” a voice demands. 

The two look over, and Lucy recognizes him instantly. The last time they ran into each was when he was flirting with her at Fairy Tail before Natsu stepped in. 

“Uh, who are you?” Dan deadpans. 

“Her beloved knight in shining armor has come to rescue his princess in distress,” the orange-haired guy practically purrs. 

She internally groans. Seconds ago she was not sure how things could get worse, but now she has clear answer. 

Dan looks at her. “Do you know him, Lu Lu?”

She rolls her eyes. 

Then he looks at Loke. “I don’t think she likes you.”

The orange-haired guy flinches at his words, a hand over his heart. “What? That’s impossible! She loves me!” 

Much to her surprise, Dan sets her down on the ground. With one arm around her waist to keep her close, he points a finger. “She loves me!” 

“You’re wrong because she loves me!” 

“No, she loves me!” 

“She can’t love you because she loves me!” 

“She doesn’t love either of you two dumbasses,” a deep voice says. 

The trio looks over to see a new face. 

With arms crossed over his broad chest, the fierce man looks quite menacing with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his right eye. His short blond hair is slicked back with spikes pointing backwards and a single tuft at the front of his hairline.

Lucy is beyond bewildered. She must be dreaming if something like this is actually happening. She has to be!

Shockingly, Dan moves away from the blonde and steps towards Loke. 

The blond man glares at the duo. “Scram!” 

Without looking back, they bolt. 

Then he looks at the blonde. “Is it alright to let them go?”

She slowly nods, still trying to comprehend what exactly happened. 

“Thank you for doing that, Laxus!” a familiar voice says happily. Clad in a dark blue bikini, Mirajane walks over and stands by his side. “I asked my boyfriend to help you out since it seemed like you were in trouble,” she explains, looking at Lucy. 

Things click in place. So he is not some random stranger helping her out. *Thank you,* she signs. 

“You’re welcome,” the white-haired woman says. 

Now that trouble is gone, Lucy glances around, hoping to see one of her friends. Sure enough, no one appears to be by home base. 

“Looking for somebody?” the blonde man asks. 

She looks at him and nods. 

“Do you want us to help you?” Mirajane inquires sweetly. “We don’t mind at all.”

The blonde considers the offer before finally nodding. 

“Then let’s go!” With the white-haired woman in the lead, the other two follow. 

“I’m Laxus by the way,” he introduces. 

“Her name is Lucy,” Mirajane says for her.

He glances at the back of his girlfriend before looking at the blonde with a questioning look. 

“She might be mute, but she still has plenty to say,” she continues. “We know each other because she is a regular at Blue Pegasus. I’m sure I’ve mentioned her to you before because she’s one of my favorite customers actually!” 

Things click into place for him. “Oh. That explains what you did earlier with your hand then.”

The white-haired woman looks back over her shoulder. “I saw you were in trouble and asked if he could step in. I didn’t give him much of an explanation now that I think about it.”

*Thank you,* the blonde signs again with a smile. 

“By the way, who are we looking for? Is it Natsu by chance?”

Lucy settles with nodding. 

Mirajane faces forward, eyes on the lookout for pink. 

The blond guy snorts. “Natsu? Natsu landed a girl like this?” He laughs. “You know you’re dating an idiot, right?”

That might be true, but he is her idiot after all.

“He should be easy to spot...” Then the white-haired woman gasps. “Laxus, you stay with Lucy. I just saw Lisanna over there”-she proceeds to point-“and I’m going to see if she can help us find Natsu.” With that, she quickens her pace. 

Lisanna? As in the Lisanna her boyfriend was talking to earlier? The blonde feels somewhat stupid that she is just now making the connection the two are sisters. They look so much alike after all. 

Laxus grabs her left arm and pulls her aside so a teenager not paying attention to where he is walking does not bump into her. 

“LET GO OF MY LUCE!” Natsu roars as he rounds the corner, storming over with a dark aura clouding around him. 

“Take it easy,” the blond man says, letting go of her. “Mira and I were helping her out. Two guys were bugging her–”

“Do I need to kick their asses, Luce?!” the pinkette demands as he checks her over for any signs of injury. 

She shakes her head. 

Then he grabs her biceps with his hands and plants a big one right on her mouth. He pulls back only to gently press his forehead against hers. “Don’t make me worry like that.”

Too focused on what is happening to them, the couple does not notice when Laxus ends up walking away.

“Are ya sure you’re fine?” Natsu asks. 

She nods. She is more than fine now. She feels much better about her doubts from earlier actually. 

He smiles. “So how about that drink?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: So I’m prettttttty positive the next chapter will be the start of the last arc. I love this story, don’t get me wrong, but I’m eager to start more! I really like having a few ongoing fics happening at the same time. I’d love to have three, but work is really busy I feel like I’d slack. So I’m sticking with two for now. Maybe once winter hits the studio will be easier. But some future fics I am planning will have Natsu or Lucy missing a sense or even something else. I just have a lot planned out and want to get to each of them!
> 
> A/N Part 2: Okay! So once I finish this fic, I will be posting a new fic. However, I’m not sure which idea to post first since I am flip flopping back and forth between the two… Sooo if you guys vote maybe I’ll finally know which one to post XD
> 
> Ink and Icing: Lucy Heartfilia works at a cupcake shop while Natsu Dragneel is across the street at a tattoo/piercing parlor. After Natsu helps Lucy out in a small situation, there is a connection they cannot deny. After hanging out a few more times with one another, they can’t keep their feelings anymore. Rated: M (future smut). Genre: Humor/Romance and smut later on. Type: modern au
> 
> Two Idiots and a Blonde: Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel, and Gray Fullbuster all live in the same house together. Even though they each have a job, Natsu and Gray are known for their funny and relatable vines/videos they have been posting while Lucy is an author. Rated: T. Genre: Humor/Friendship with romance later on. Type: modern au.
> 
> Some of y’all have been asking for smut so that would be the purpose of Ink and Icing. But I like where I can take Two Idiots and a Blonde and what it will cover. So if you leave a comment, feel free to say which fic I should work towards next!


	38. Chapter 38

It is now the thirtieth day of October and Lucy is waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up. There is a Halloween party later and they are driving together. She is excited for the party, but there is something else she is looking forward to even more. Today also marks the three year anniversary of Levy and Gajeel. He has the ring and plans on proposing to her later tonight. He is going to do it around their friends because he knows she would not want it any other way. After all, they met because of their friends.

The blonde is waiting in her family room, all dressed and ready to go. She is going as a cute black kitty, dressed in all black with some accessories. She is wearing a strapless sparkly top and tutu skirt topped off with black fishnets and heels. The costume is complete with cat ears and a tail. 

She checks her phone again. Natsu texted he was on his way, but she thought he would be here by now. 

Suddenly, her front door opens up and he steps inside. He wearing jeans and a white tee that he wrote “Error 404 Costume Not Found” in black marker. “Lu–” He stops calling her name when he sees her. “Well, me-ow to you too.”

She waves and walks over to him, phone already in her purse. *Ready!* she signs with a smile. 

The pinkette leans forward and smooches her lips. As he is pulling back, he leans forward again for another kiss. “Okay, now I’m ready to leave.” He is out the door first. 

After locking the door behind her, Lucy turns around and heads for his jeep parked on her driveway. There is just enough light still out to see the beautiful fall colors that are full of reds, oranges, and yellows. She has always enjoyed fall, but fall means winter is coming soon and she is not a huge fan of the cold. 

Natsu opens the door for her and holds out a hand to help her up. “Your Cat-ness.” 

She smiles and takes his hand before taking a seat, putting on her seatbelt. 

He rushes around the front of his vehicle before getting in and starting it up. “To Ice Princess’ place we go!”

x-X-x

This year, Gray is hosting the party at his house so the drive is not far. The front of the home is strung up with orange hanging lights and other decorations, certain ones having spotlights on them. Some are creepy animatronics while others are simple cutouts. The blonde is slightly impressed he went all out like this. 

“Not bad,” the pinkette says as he hops out into the street.

She steps out to stand on grass and closes the door behind her. Her boyfriend joins her on the other side and they walk hand in hand to the front porch. Not even bothering to knock, he opens the door and lets her inside first. 

Some faces are easily recognizable while others are harder due to masks. It is easy to tell who some people are pretending to by while some might need an explanation. The inside of the house looks fantastic too and everything ties together nicely! The atmosphere is great overall!

Gray is the first to approach the couple. He is dressed like a fisherman, complete with boots, jacket, and a hat. “I was wondering when you two were going to show up.” He hugs his sister before pausing to look over Natsu’s costume. “Really?”

“I was struggling to decide what to wear!” he says rather defensively. 

He looks at Lucy. “Your boyfriend is so lame,” he stage whispers. “In case you didn’t know that.”

One of the pinkette’s eye twitches. “Hey, you wanna go, Ice Princess!” 

“Do not even think of hurting my darling Gray!” Juvia says as she walks over to them. She is a beautiful mermaid with a blue tail and clam bra. The shells and pearls accessories help with the costume.

She and the dark-haired guy officially started dating not long after the triple date to Mermaid Heel. He could not deny the connection they had any longer and finally asked her to be his girlfriend. 

*I like it,* the blonde signs with a smile. 

“She likes your costume,” Gray translates. 

She smiles. “And Juvia thinks you are quite cute, Miss Lucy!” 

*Thank you.*

“Other people still have to arrive, but there’s still time,” the dark-haired guy begins. “The costume contest isn’t until later and there are some categories from individual to couples. Food and drinks are in the kitchen while some entertainment is out in the garage. A fire will–”

“I call getting is started!” Natsu says enthusiastically, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“Do you want me to show you were things are to get it started?” the long-haired bluenette offers. 

“Sure!” 

The two end up walking off together while their significant others watch them go. 

“I’m glad they get along,” the dark-haired guy comments. 

Lucy nods in agreement. 

A certain black-haired guy approaches the duo. He is dressed in a white suit with a red tie and a hat. “Hey, Bunny Girl, can we talk?” he asks. He sounds calm on the outside, but he is an absolute wreck on the inside.

She waves goodbye to her brother before grabbing Gajeel’s hand and whisking him upstairs, knowing no one else should be there. They stand at the end of the hallway for privacy. 

“I-I’m nervous,” he admits, pulling at his collar. “I dunno if I can do it now. Maybe I’ll wait until next year.”

The blonde crosses her arms under her chest and shakes her head firmly. 

“But what if I fuck the proposal? Say something wrong or some shit?”

She places her right hand on his left shoulder, glad she is wearing heels that help with their height difference. Then she inhales deeply. 

Gajeel copies her, filling his lungs with air.

She exhales quietly while he practically sends out a gust of wind. 

“You’re right. Shrimp loves me. She’ll still stay yes even if I fuck up proposing. Thanks for the pep talk, Bunny Girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I’m pretty sureeeeee y’all know what is coming up in the next chapter! :3 But as always, I want to thank y’all for every all of the attention this fic has received! :D
> 
> A/N Part 2: Thank you all who have voted for the next fic so far! There is still time until RPRT is complete so it’s still up in the air at which fic will begin next!


	39. Chapter 39

The blonde is simply happy as she sits by the fire with her friends surrounding her. Everyone is enjoying the moment and it could not be more perfect.

Natsu holds his girlfriend a little closer to him in his lap, sending a look to a certain orange-haired guy’s way. It turns out Loke and Gray are friends and have known each other for some time. The dark-haired guy did his role of big brother and did not mention his sister around him, knowing he would shamelessly flirt with her. The four are on better terms since Mermaid Heel, but the pinkette still does not trust him. 

Lucy places one of her hands on her boyfriend’s and gives him a gentle squeeze. 

Just for good measure, he leans around to peck her cheek. 

“Ugh, watch the testosterone, Flame Brain,” Gajeel jokes. “We all get Bunny Girl is your girl.”

He nods with satisfaction. “Good.”

“Just let us know if you want out of that trap, Lu,” the short-haired bluenette says. 

The pinkette’s grip tightens around her waist, not wanting her to leave. 

*I’m fine,* she signs. *I don’t plan on going anywhere.*

“Hey, guys!” Mirajane shouts from the backdoor. “We have a karaoke battle going on! Does anyone out here want to join?”

Gajeel jumps to his feet and grabs his girlfriend, swinging her over his shoulder. “Shrimp and I are in!” 

“Put me down!” Levy protests, unable to save herself. 

“Juvia wants to participate too!” the long-haired bluenette says. 

Gray stands up and takes her hand, pulling her along. “Come on!” 

Lucy looks at Natsu eagerly. 

“Ya wanna watch?” he asks.

She nods. 

“Then let’s go!” 

“Hey, wait for me!” Loke shouts.

x-X-x

As if by some miracle, the pinkette won. It might not have been by much, but he still won.

“Yeah, I’m all fired up now!” he shouts, a fist in the air. 

“H-how could I have lost to him… ?” the orange-haired guy asks with bewilderment. 

Natsu plops down on the couch next to the blonde before leaning over and kissing her. He looks at Loke with a smirk. “It’s because I had my awesome girlfriend cheering me on!” 

“Hey, Shrimp and I wanna battle each other next!” the black-haired guy says. 

She looks up at him. “We do?”

“What, scared you’re gonna loose?” He knows exactly how to push her buttons and get to her. 

She gives him a look before strutting over to the orange-haired guy. “Give me your mic!” 

While she is mentally preparing herself for this, Gajeel is flipping through which song he wants. Surprising everyone, he chooses “Hanging By a Moment” by Lifehouse. 

“Kick his ass, Levy!” the pinkette cheers. 

She looks up at her boyfriend. “I won’t go easy on you.”

He grins. “Gihi, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The couple gets into it at the beginning, eager to beat the other. But right before the chorus plays for the first time, the black-haired guy gets down on one knee with ring box opened in his free hand. 

The short-haired bluenette’s eyes grow wide and her left hand flies to cover her mouth.

I’m falling even more in love with you

Letting go of all I’ve held onto

I’m standing here until you make me move

I’m hanging by a moment here with you

I’m living for the only thing I know

I’m running and not quite sure where to go

And I don’t know what I’m diving into

Just hanging by a moment here with you

The rest of the song keeps playing, but Gajeel stops singing. “Hey, Shrimp. I’ve got a question for ya.”

She tears up and starts crying. “Yes!” She flings her arms around his neck and holds onto him tightly. “Of course, Gajeel!” 

He hugs her back. “But I didn’t ask ya anything yet.”

“I’m going to say yes anyways.”

Their friends cheer loudly, some even whistling with their fingers to their mouths. 

Lucy is smiling, glad she took out her phone to record the moment. 

The couple breaks apart and the black-haired guy slips the ring onto her finger. 

“It’s so beautiful,” Levy says. 

“Your bestie helped me pick it out so I didn’t fuck up.”

Her hazel eyes dart over to the blonde. “Lu! Oh, Lu! It’s perfect! Thank you!” She looks back at her new fiancé, both hands cupping his face. “Thank you…” Then she kisses him. 

“Took Lug Nuts long enough,” the pinkette says. 

His girlfriend elbows him in the side. 

“What? Three years is a long time.”

She shuts of the recording and puts her phone away. 

Natsu leans towards her, lips next to her ear. “Don’t think I’ll take that long though.”

Her face instantly heats up from embarrassment.

“To Gajeel and Levy!” Gray shouts before he starts clapping. 

Others follow suit, some hollering and whistling. 

The blonde finally gathers enough courage to finally look him in the eye.

He is serious. “Remember what I told ya in the hospital?”

She is not sure what he means specifically. She was there less than a week and he had plenty to say during that time. 

He signs sign “I love you” with his fingers, leaving his pinkie, index finger, and thumb straight while the other two are curled down.

Like he did with her before, she copies him and presses her hand against his.

“Forever,” the pinkette adds. 

x-X-x

By the time they are ready to leave, Natsu has had one too many drinks so Lucy is driving back to her house.

“I luv my Luce!” he slurs in a sing-song voice. “She’s the only Luce fer me!” Then he rolls down the window and sings louder for the world. “I luv my Luceee! She’s the only Luce fer meee!” 

She steals a peek at him, finding his entertainment amusing. Then she returns her eyes to the road. 

The pinkette looks over at her. “Hey. I luv ya. Like a lot.”

She reaches out to take his left hand with her right, ignoring the cast.

He yawns rather loudly. “I’m tired. I wanna sleep.”

If she could talk, she would tell him he can sleep when they get to her house. She already informed Igneel of the situation and he only cares that the two are being smart about things. Well, at least she is being smart about not letting him drive. 

When she pulls into her driveway and parks the jeep, she does not have to help her boyfriend out. He makes it to the door first, waiting on her to unlock it. 

“Gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee,” Natsu chants until the door is open. “Woo!” 

As he races off to the bathroom, the blonde locks the front door behind her and goes to her room to change into comfortable clothes. While she is pulling down her loose tee, the pinkette strides into the room. 

“Bed time!” He kicks off his shoes and strips out of his shirt, tossing it aside. “Much better.” Then he shuts off the light and drags his girlfriend into bed with him, snuggling up to her. “Luv ya.”

She kisses his head before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: So Gajeel finally asked Levy! Woooo~ And I decided to end the chapter with some NaLu :3 I hope y’all liked it! 
> 
> A/N Part 2: I happened to release a one-shot called Ignite if y’all care to read it! I do appreciate every single Review and Fav! :D


	40. Chapter 40

The next morning, Lucy and her father are enjoying one another’s company while eating breakfast. They have met a few times since she was in the hospital and their relationship has improved since then. 

“I’m glad we can spend some time together before I catch my flight this afternoon,” Jude says with a small smile. 

*Me too,* she signs, before taking a bite of her eggs. She is happy they are doing much better since he first visited her in the hospital. 

“So how are you and Natsu doing?” he inquires, right as she is swallowing. “Are there any updates?”

She chokes and grabs her glass of orange juice to chase it down. With watering eyes, she looks at her father to sign in a dramatic manner, *What kind of question is that?*

“I only meant how your relationship is progressing with him. Like are the two of you still together? Is he still making you happy?”

The blonde regains her composure before signing some more. *We are still dating. He makes me happy. Very happy.*

Jude smiles. “I am glad things are working well for the both of you.”

*I am too.*

“Lucy, do you think he could be the one?” he inquires, looking hopeful. 

She pictures him clearly in her mind even down to his signature grin. Then she thinks about the moments they have shared together. It is the little things he does that mean so much to her. He cares for her and understands her in a way others do not. Lucy finally nods. 

An eager expression comes over his face. “Yes?”

*Yes,* she confirms.

“Next time we see each other, we should invite him along,” her father muses. “Maybe include his father as well.”

She smiles. *I would like that.*

“I still remember when Layla and I first met.” Then he chuckles. “I never thought she would fall for someone like me. But she did.” He looks at her from across the table. “And then we had you. You brought so much joy into our lives, Lucy. Our precious little bundle that made us so incredibly happy.” He laughs. “You definitely taught us a great deal.” 

She smiles at him. 

“I am sure Layla is proud of what you have accomplished so far,” Jude continues. “And you are still young. You have so much life ahead of you to do even more great things. Speaking of which, how is your next book coming along?”

*There are two different ideas I have in mind actually,” the blonde replies. 

He chuckles. “Don’t worry, little one. I will be sure not to spoil a thing for your readers.”

She goes into describing them, sharing a piece of herself with her father. 

x-X-x

When they part ways so Jude is not late for his flight, Lucy swings by the grocery store since she is out and about. After all, she needs a couple more bags of candy to last her through the trick-or-treaters she will have tonight. 

She grabs a hand basket and makes her way to the candy in the seasonal section. After grabbing a couple of bags, she goes over to the candy aisle. Her boyfriend likes things that are hot and spicy so she is getting a box of his favorite candy. 

Since she has some more room in the basket, she picks up a few other things along the way. Then her phone goes off due to a text. She grabs it from her purse to check. 

Natsu: Luceeee! What time am I coming over again?

She rolls her eyes and starts typing a reply. 

Lucy: It starts at six so you need to be over before then :)

Natsu: 5 good?

Lucy: That would give us some time together. And you’d be able to eat your candy! 

Natsu: Candy??

So the blonde takes a selfie with the box and sends it to him. 

Natsu: WOOOO :D TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!!

Natsu: NOW I’M ALL FIRED UP TO SEE YA LATER! 

Lucy: I can tell XD

Natsu: Hey, I gotta get going :P

Natsu: But I’ll be over later

Natsu: I LOVE YA, LUCEEE

Lucy: I love you, too! :3

x-X-x

Now at home, the blonde is busy preparing for the evening. She may have an empty bowl ready on the counter, but the candy bags are still unopened. She does not want her boyfriend snacking on them before it is time. 

In the meantime, she sits down to type while she waits for the pinkette to arrive. For her, it is still a tossup between which idea she should focus on. She is sure she will figure out soon though. But until then, she will keep adding to the two different ideas. 

Suddenly, there is a knock on her front door. 

Feeling puzzled, she looks at a clock on one of her monitors to check the time. She is expecting Natsu, but it is nowhere near five o’clock. Besides, if it was him, he would not even bother with knocking. So why is someone paying her a surprise visit now before it is even noon?

The blonde stands up to walk over to her front door. After opening it, she finds someone she has never seen before on her front porch. 

The young woman has straight dark locks that reach her lower back and a set of bangs. She has two bun-shaped loops on either side of her head that form down into braids. She has fierce green eyes and is dressed in a uniform, looking like someone who is about to clean. The look is complete with blue cleaning gloves, black boots, and a white zipped up suit. 

“Trick-or-treat,” she says with a wicked grin. 

It is way too earlier for any trick-or-treaters and she is too old to be doing this alone. 

“I have a trick for you, Lucy Heartfilia.” Then the dark-haired woman lunges at her, holding a cloth up to her face. “Does this smell like chloroform to you?”

She has no chance of fighting the shadows creeping in on her before her world goes dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I liked having the father/daughter moment in the beginning :3 After all, their relationship is much better! But the final arc of this fic has begun! A few more chapters to go for sure~ I’m excited! Juuuuuust saying, UnitedOsprey1991 from FFnet was the one who wanted something like this to happen so I figured it would be a great last arc for this fic! *cue evil laughter*
> 
> A/N Part 2: And thank you allllllll for everything this fic has received! It means a lot since this is the first fic I have posted!! Take care now! :D
> 
> A/N Part 3: I posted a new fic that originally was going to be a one-shot. It’s called Cute As Fuck so feel free to check out the first chapter! A lot of people seem to really like it!


	41. Chapter 41

The blonde’s mind feels hazy when she finally comes to. She slowly blinks, looking around to figure out where she is. It seems like she is in a dark and musty cellar that has not been used for years. The somewhat spacious room itself is a square with cement walls and floor while there is a single small window behind her that is close to the ceiling. The only source of light that allows her to see is an electric lantern that is by the wooden door across from her. Along with the lantern, the only other two things inside of the cellar are Lucy and the wooden chair she is bound to with her hands tied behind her. 

She attempts to wiggle herself free, but to no avail. Her heart is beating erratically as her mind races. She has no clue why some woman kidnapped her from her own home. She has never done anything to anyone before to deserve something like this. 

Suddenly, she hears footsteps just on the other side of the door. It creaks open and the dark-haired woman pokes her head inside. “I thought I heard you squirming around.” With that, she leaves and closes the door. 

Now Lucy is more confused than ever. Nothing makes sense at all about her predicament. While she thinks of different ways to possibly escape, heavy footsteps approach from the other side of the room. 

When the door opens, a large man with tan skin enters the room, making everything seem smaller. He has beady eyes and a creamy colored beard along with bushy eyebrows. “Lucy Heartfilia,” he bellows. 

Apparently the two of them know who she is while she has no of chance of guessing their identities. 

He stands in front of her, simply towering over her. “My name is Jiemma Orland. You have already met my daughter, Minerva.” 

The blonde has no idea why he is giving away information when he had the upper hand to start with. He is like some bad guy from a movie, going on with his monologue. 

“Your father and I were supposed to have a meeting, but he cancelled it because his beloved daughter was in the hospital,” he continues. “Of course, he had never mentioned you before so that was a bit of a surprise. Regardless, I planned on waiting for when our meeting could be rescheduled…”

She finds it hard to believe her father would have made a deal with someone like this man. 

The man glares at her. “Days later, his assistant informed me that Jude backed out of the deal! It was like he had some change of heart!” He forms tight fists. “Heartfilia Enterprise should have crumbled to the ground, leaving Sabertooth Incorporated to be the company that is on top! You ruined it all!” 

Yes, because her getting appendicitis was totally part of the plan. 

Minerva walks into the room with a camera in hand. 

“It took some time to track down Jude’s daughter,” the large man says. “There wasn’t much on you, but with enough digging, we found you. We found Jude’s only weakness.” He grins. “And now, he will have no choice. He will go through with the original deal. He will change his mind after he sees the video we are going to record…”

x-X-x

Meanwhile, Natsu parks his jeep on his girlfriend’s driveway and hops out. As soon as he strolls into her house, he smells paint. Maybe Lucy has a project she needs help with. “Yo, Luce!” he greets, shutting the door behind him. “Where are ya?”

He is only met with silence, which is odd. Normally the blonde makes some form of sound so he knows where she is. Maybe she did not hear him. 

“Luce!” he says, being louder than before. Then he decides to look around for her, discovering she is not anywhere to be seen in any of the rooms. He even checks the garage, finding her vehicle is parked. He looks out windows to see if she is out in the backyard. Finally, the pinkette takes out his phone and dials her cell phone, keeping it away from his ear so he can listen. 

Then he hears it. The ringing is coming from her office that he already checked. He walks inside the room again to find her cell phone is at her desk. Natsu ends the call, but keeps his phone in hand. 

Lucy should be home. In fact, her car and cell phone are here even though she is nowhere to be seen. It is only two minutes after five o’clock, but that should not matter since she knew he was coming over. 

Panic settles in and the pinkette calls his dad. 

“What’s up?” Igneel asks. 

“She isn’t here,” he begins quickly. “Her front door’s normally unlocked for me, but she isn’t here. I don’t like this.”

“Maybe Lucy stepped out for a bit–”

“Her car and cell are both here. There’s no way she’d go anywhere without her cell. She uses that to communicate. It doesn’t look like there was a sign of a struggle–” Natsu stops talking when he remembers the paint. Why does it smell like that? 

“What’s wrong?” his father inquires, sounding worried. 

“Paint.”

“Paint?”

The pinkette sniffs around as he walks out of her office to try and find the source. “I smell paint.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing looks painted. I’m sure Luce would tapped stuff over, but everything looks normal.”

“Natsu, you’re probably over thinking things,” Igneel says. “I’m sure Lucy is fine–”

He gasps when he finally finds the source, yellow paint on the white ceiling in the family room. He missed it earlier just because he was not on the lookout for it. The pinkette spins around and cranes his neck to figure out what he is looking at. He does not recognize it, but it reminds him of a tooth that is also some kind of animal, like a two-in-one piece of work. 

“What?” his father asks. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Fear trickles his down his spine at the sight above him. “Shit…”

“Dammit, Natsu! Talk to me!” 

“I think…” he whispers, his voice thick with worry. “I think she’s been kidnapped…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The cellar she is in is kinda based on what my old house had so that’s where the inspiration for the room came from! The coming chapters will explain the whole thing Heartfilia and Sabertooth. Having Natsu’s POV was a bonus, but I’m not sure if I’ll flip back and forth between the two…


	42. Chapter 42

Lucy knows everything now. While his daughter recorded the whole thing, Jiemma spoke to the camera as though he were explaining things to Jude. He is using the blonde and more harm will come to her if her father does not go through with the deal. Of course, the police cannot be involved at all. The large man plans that once the deal is complete, he will sully Heartfilia Enterprise before causing a downward spiral for the company. Then Sabertooth Incorporated will be on top. 

Ignoring her throbbing scalp from when the large man pulled at her hair, she thinks. If she can escape her binds, she may have a fighting chance. After all, Gray has taught her some self defense moves for just in case reasons. But the blonde is not quite sure how to escape the tight, firm bonds around her wrists. 

Suddenly, she hears a bang from upstairs and jumps at the noise she was not expecting. It sounded like someone slammed a fist into something. 

“WHAT?!” Jiemma roars. 

Lucy holds her breath as she listens for more, hoping to figure out what is happening. 

Footsteps storm down stairs and get closer with each passing second. The door flies open and the large man rushes into the room. It is clear to see he is absolutely livid about something. “HOW?!” 

She has no clue what he means. 

Minerva steps into the room and slips past her father, an ominous aura about her. “We have yet to send out the video to Jude, but somehow the police know you have been kidnapped. It’s all over the news.” Her gaze narrows. “Specifically, they know Sabertooth Incorporated is behind the kidnapping. My father and I are now wanted people.”

The blonde is stunned. She is not sure how it is even possible that the duo has been called out like this. Especially so quickly since she was kidnapped hours ago.

The dark-haired woman looks at her father. “I didn’t leave a trace behind when I went to her home. I made sure of it. I don’t understand how they could have linked this to us.”

Jiemma shouts in anger. “The whole point of this was so Jude didn’t know she was missing in the first place! Everything is ruined now! Jude will not go through with the deal!” 

“We still have the upper hand, Father. They can’t possibly know where we are.” She steals a glance at Lucy. “I’m sure she doesn’t even know where she is…”

Her brown eyes flicker back and forth between her two captors. 

x-X-x

After calling the police to report his girlfriend had been kidnapped from her home and something that could be a calling card was spray painted on her ceiling, Natsu did research before calling her father. The symbol is actually a logo that represents a company called Sabertooth Incorporated. He is positive the blonde is caught in the crossfire because her father owns a powerful business. 

Jude only confirmed his suspicion when they spoke on the phone. They both believe Sabertooth plans on using the blonde for ransom or even a way to ensure Jude goes through with the deal the owner of Sabertooth offered. Also, they are more than sure that the owner and his daughter are the reason why Lucy is missing.

So now the pinkette is sitting on a couch in the family room. The sight of police casing her home is unsettling since someone he loves and cares for deeply is involved. Of course, he will do everything in his power to ensure she returns home safe and sound. However, he is not sure what to do now since he has no idea where she possibly is. He has nothing else to go on. 

His green eyes stare down at his phone’s background screen. It is a recent selfie he took of himself and his girlfriend. She is laughing in the photo, her smile so radiant. He misses it. He misses her. Natsu brushes a thumb across the screen, wishing he look at her right now rather than on a screen. “I’ll getcha back, Luce. Promise.”

“Hey, let me go!” an all too familiar voice shouts from outside. 

The pinkette rushes out the open front door to see his best friend struggling with a cop. He is being detained from entering the premise. 

“She’s my sister!” he protests, thrashing around. “Let me through!” 

“He’s okay!” Natsu shouts, getting their attention. “I called him and told him what happened. They’re not blood related, but they might as well be siblings.”

The cop releases him, and the dark-haired guy rushes over to best friend. “Any updates?”

“Not since I called ya.” Then he walks inside the house that feels so empty without Lucy around. Police officers are inside so they are not alone, but things feel so wrong. 

Gray follows after him and looks up to see the spray paint that is on the ceiling. “Those damn bastards.”

“I still don’t get why they left their logo here. It’s a guaranteed way of us linking the kidnapping to them.”

“Probably to leave the mark so everyone knew. Their calling card.”

“Jude says they haven’t done anything. No ransom or demands he goes through with the deal. Well, yet at least.”

“But Sabertooth Incorporated already has a ton of money. It makes no sense for them to kidnap Lucy to get money from her dad since he owns Heartfilia Enterprise.”

The pinkette nods his head in agreement. “Jude and I both think it’s about a deal the owner of Sabertooth wanted.”

“Kidnapping Lucy would give them leverage so Jude had to go through with it,” the dark-haired guy reasons.

“Exactly.”

Gray sighs. “It must be the end of the world if you’re making sense and being logical about things.”

“Luce is out there. She could be hurt. I don’t want any time being wasted.”

The dark-haired guy puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We’ll get her back.”

Natsu curls his fingers into fists. “Jiemma and Minerva still can’t be found. There haven’t been any updates on the two of ’em.”

“Who?”

“Jiemma owns the company,” he replies. “Minerva works with him and she’s his daughter.”

“That’s twisted if he had family help him out.”

“According to Jude, Minerva is the shady one.”

“Damn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! Life has been busy. Work has been slammed. And my best friend just got engaged (confetti) and I’m the maid of honor (more confetti)! Anyways. Don’t forget, this fic will be ending soon! Like wow!!


	43. Chapter 43

Lucy has since learned more about the situation. Apparently someone had spray painted the logo for Sabertooth Incorporated on a ceiling in her home. Minerva obviously was not the one who did it because it makes no sense for her to leave behind something so evident. So does that mean someone else is involved and spray painted that to point a finger at Sabertooth? Is someone trying to help her out without putting their identity out there?

The blonde sighs. This is now how she imagined her night would go. She is supposed to be at her home with Natsu– 

Her eyes grow wide. Natsu! Now is the first time she has thought about him since she was kidnapped. Was he the one who discovered she was missing? Was he the first to see what was spray painted on her ceiling? Her stomach churns at the thought of how worried he might be. Tomorrow may only mark the four months since they first met each other, but it seems like they have known one another for years. The pinkette has grown rather close to her in that amount of time and cares for her immensely. After all, he has already dropped hints he believes she is the one for him…

Lucy glares at the door while she attempts to struggle free from her bonds yet again. She is more determined than ever to escape even though she is not quite sure how she will. 

Suddenly, the door opens up and the dark-haired woman steps into the room, holding a balled up sack in one of her hands. “I am taking you on a little field trip,” she says with a sly smile. 

The blonde gulps, not liking what will be in store for her. 

Minerva walks over to slip the itchy sack over her head, taking away her sight. Then she moves behind her and flips something open, something that sounds like metal. She cuts the zip tie that is attached to the chair and the zip tie around her wrist. Then she grabs her roughly and forces her to stand.

Incredibly wobbly on her feet, Lucy finds her bearings. Her wrists still might be bound together, but she has some more freedom. 

“Get moving,” the dark-haired woman demands, shoving her along. 

She takes small steps before planting her left foot into the ground and swinging around her right leg. Minerva becomes tripped up and loosens her grip. Then the blonde steps with her right leg and brings her left leg up to kick her captor in the side. 

The dark-haired woman gasps loudly. 

Lucy takes the opportunity to bend over and wiggle, letting gravity do its work until the sack falls off and lands on the ground. She swings her torso up and takes in Minerva’s condition now that she can see.

She is holding her side, glaring at her. “Why you little–” Then she charges.

Reacting on what Gray taught her, the blonde attempts to deliver a powerful blow; however, her kick is stopped. The dark-haired woman grabs her ankle with a smirk. “Looks like you have a little spunk to you after all.”

Lucy hops around on one foot until she falls to the ground when Minerva releases her. She bends over the blonde only to receive a kick from both directly to her stomach. Getting the wind knocked out of her, she stumbles backwards before falling and hitting her head on the back of the chair. She crumples to the ground with a word and does not move at all. 

The blonde immediately panics. Did she accidentally kill her? She quickly sits up and studies her, noticing some movement from slow breathing. She sighs in relief. Then she looks around for what was used to cut the zip tie. Unfortunately, she does not spot it. She could take the time to search the unconscious woman for it, but fears she will waste time. 

After standing up, she makes her way over to the door that was left opened. She is surprised Jiemma never came down after the commotion and proceeds with caution. The rest of the basement is dark, but she does not bring along the lantern because that would give away her position. She finds the old wooden staircase and slowly makes her way up before locking the basement door behind her. 

The blonde slowly peers around the corner, discovering the old, cold house seems to be abandoned, showing no sign of anyone living here. She tiptoes around the kitchen until she spots a door that leads out into the backyard. She takes her chances and makes a break for it. She is not dressed for the chilly weather, but she does not let that stop her. Lucy strives onwards. 

x-X-x

No progress has been made and Natsu feels as though he is losing his mind. It has been five hours since he first discovered his girlfriend was missing. Then again, no one is really sure when she was first kidnapped. That means she has been missing for even a longer period of time. 

Sabertooth Incorporated is the only lead everyone has, but Jiemma and Minerva have yet to turn up. No demands have been made either. It is like the three have disappeared off of the face of the planet. 

He wants to know she is unharmed and safe. He wants her back. 

“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore!” the pinkette shouts in frustration. 

“Calm down, dude,” Gray says, looking over at him. 

Natsu jumps to his feet. “Do you really expect me to calm down?! My girlfriend is missing!” 

The dark-haired guy stands up from the couch in a calmer fashion. “So is my sister!”

That gets him to shut up. Of course, Gray is stressed and worried as well. He has known Lucy longer than him even though they are the ones dating. She is probably one of the closest people to him.

“Come on,” the dark-haired guy says suddenly.

He blinks in confusion. “Huh?”

“We’re leaving. Being here isn’t doing either of us any good.”

“One condition.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m driving.”

Gray shrugs. “As long as you don’t road rage.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: WORK HAS BEEN HELLA BUSY OR I WOULDA UPDATED BEFORE NOW D: I actually ended up working 6 days rather than 5 :c And some of the evenings were later than normal I just went to bed when I got home. Luckily I’ve been able to type some on my phone, but I’ve had no time to be on my lappy :/ BUT I’M HAPPY I COULD FINALLY UPDATE. I don’t want to only update once a week because I like updating every few days when I can, but damn. I’m hoping work slows down after the holidays...


	44. Chapter 44

Lucy’s luck would mean no car is driving down the two-way road at this hour. She ended up going around to the front of the house to look at the address before she saw the nearby road. The road itself is surrounded by woods on both sides and no trace of any street lights. It seems like the house is built on private lands due to the lack of any possible neighbors. She is not sure how long she has been walking along the road, but she has not seen a sight of anyone else. 

The blonde stumbles over something that felt like rock, managing to stay on her feet. She is tired and frustrated, but she is too stubborn to quit. She is not one to give up. After all, she is a Heartfilia–

Her feet become tangled in a fallen branch and she falls, unable to stop her fall because of her hands. She lands on her right shoulder and clenches her teeth together, fighting back the pain. Walking in the dark in an area she is not familiar with is not her brightest idea. Of course, she will not go back to retrieve that lantern. She does not want to risk getting caught.

Lucy stands back up and keeps going, planning on not stopping until she is safe or receives help. 

Suddenly, headlights appear out of nowhere, indicating the road bends at a point. Happiness blooms in her chest before fear takes over. What if that is Jiemma coming back to check on things? It became obvious he was not in the house after her struggle with Minerva. 

When the lights shine on her, she stops and holds her breath. The blonde is hoping for the best, but also planning an escape. She might be able to run into the woods and stay hidden until–

The vehicle slams on its breaks, the tires screeching along the road. 

She readies herself to bolt, just in case it is the man she wants to avoid. 

Leaving the engine running, the driver’s door is the first one to open. “LUCE!” a familiar voice shouts desperately. The figure is already running right towards her. 

Her heart skips a beat. Natsu. The voice sounded just like Natsu. 

The passenger door flies open and another person is racing for her. “LUCY!” 

Now she must be hearing things if she hears Gray as well. Can this really be happening or is she going crazy?

The pinkette nearly runs her over when he embraces her tightly. Her brother joins in, and she becomes a Lucy sandwich because of two very important people. The dark-haired guy is the first to let go so he can call the police and inform them of the situation. 

“Are ya okay?” Natsu looks her over and turns her around so he can figure out why she has her hands behind her back. “C’mon, I got a pocket knife in the jeep we can use.” With that being said, he sweeps her off her feet. “Shit, you’re freezing.”

She snuggles up to him the best she can, glad he is like a personal furnace for her. 

Still on the phone, Gray jogs ahead to get the pocket knife and open a back door. “You get in back with her. I’ll drive.”

When the pinkette reaches his jeep, he turns so his best friend is able to cut the zip tie. Then he steps inside and sits down, keeping her on his lap. 

Now with free hands, she gets starts rubbing her sore wrists. She leans her back against her torso, slouching and molding her body against his. 

The dark-haired guy shuts the door and runs around to the driver side. As soon as he shuts the door, he blasts the heat so his sister can warm up quickly. Then he looks back at her. “Lucy, where did you come from?”

She points up ahead. 

“Just down the road?”

She nods. 

“Is there a house?”

She uses a hand to list off the numbers of the address, and Gray recites them into the phone. 

“Here, use this,” Natsu says as he hands her his phone. Then he slips his arms around her waist, ensuring she stays close to him. 

While the blonde types, her boyfriend reads the words as they appear on the screen. “Luce knocked Minerva out-good job on that!-and escaped. She might still be in the cellar if she hasn’t woken up by now. Luce has no clue where Jiemma might be. He wasn’t there.”

Of course, the dark-haired guy relays all of the information to whoever is on the other end of the call. When he finally hangs up, the jeep falls silent. The only thing to be heard is the blasting heat and breathing. 

In the blink of an eye, Lucy comes undone and begins to ball her eyes out. She is incredibly relieved the nightmare is coming to an end. She only wishes it can all be behind her now. 

“Shit, don’t cry.” Gray reaches his right hand back and holds onto her left hand. He gives her a gentle squeeze. 

With her other hand, she clutches onto her boyfriend’s arm. She is happy they are both here. If anyone was able to find her, it would be these two. 

“We gotcha, Luce,” the pinkette assures her. “You’re safe.”

x-X-x

Now there are only four people inside of Lucy’s home. She is on the same couch with her boyfriend and brother. Jude is sitting down on a chair by himself. It might be late, but they are all wide awake. 

“How does no one still know who left that logo?” Jude inquires, stealing a glance at it. 

“Minerva was our best bet, but she didn’t do it,” Gray comments, and shrugs. “It’s like someone on the outside did it.”

“But why?” the pinkette asks. 

The blonde is grateful for whoever did it. After all, it pointed the police in the right direction. Without it, her father probably would have gone through Jiemma’s deal just to ensure her safety. 

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. 

“Were ya expecting company?” Natsu asks, holding his girlfriend a little closer to him. 

She shakes her head. 

Without a word, the dark-haired guy stands up to get the door. When he opens it up, he takes a step back. “What?”

Two somewhat familiar faces walk over the threshold. The blond one looks up at the spray paint on the ceiling. “Heh, I see my handy work is still there.”

The pinkette is quick to jump to his feet. “You did that?!” 

“Relax,” the one with black hair says. “We’re agents. I’m Rogue Cheney, and my partner is Sting Eucliffe.”

Sting. That is what does it for Lucy. She recognizes the name because she thought it was interesting when he had asked her to make the book out to him at the book signing. *I remember you both!*

The blond rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “Uh, I don’t know sign language…”

“She remembers the both of you,” Gray translates, leaning against the closed door. 

“From what?” Jude asks. 

“The book signing,” the two agents reply in unison. 

“I doubt you’re both here because of the book signing,” the dark-haired guy says. 

“Close to a month ago, we infiltrated Sabertooth Incorporated as employees to learn more about them,” Rogue begins to explain. “They appeared to be doing illegal deeds, but we needed to catch them. We had no proof of anything.”

“Next thing we know, they kidnap Jude Heartfilia’s daughter,” Sting adds. “That threw a wrench into things.”

“We would have done more, but we could not be caught or have anything traced back to us,” his partner continues. “It was necessary to stay out of the light.”

Things click in place for the blonde and she glances at the logo before signing, *You left a bread crumb.*

“Bread crumb?” Natsu asks, tilting his head. 

The agent with black hair nods. “The logo was a bread crumb. It pointed people in the right direction.”

“Because of that, Jiemma could not send in the video he recorded that Lucy told us about,” her father says. “At that point we knew who did the kidnapping and the police were already involved.”

“Bingo!” Sting says. “Plus, the media thinks Minerva was the one who left behind the logo. She and her dad know that isn’t the case, but they still don’t know who did it for sure. Nobody does actually. Well, except all of us.”

“So what now?” Gray asks. 

“Jiemma and Minerva have since been apprehended,” Rogue replies. “He went back to check on things since she was not responding. When the police arrived, they found them both in the cellar. Back in the day, that house used to belong to them. It was a perfect place to keep Lucy.”

“But now they’re getting locked away for a looong time,” his partner adds.

Relief washes over Lucy. Things should return back to normal now. She reaches for her boyfriend’s hand and squeezes. 

He smiles and squeezes back. “It’ll all be okay now.”

She nods, a big smile forming on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: I’m sure y’all don’t mind this was a longer chapter than usual XD But things are wrapping up finally!! I’m prettttttty sure the next chapter will be the last one to this series! It’ll be good though!! I promiseeeeeeeee ^-^
> 
> A/N Part 2: In case y’all wonder, I totally thought Jiemma went to prep another spot. Like he was going to have Minerva bring Lucy along jusssst in case the police did try searching the old home.


	45. Chapter 45

The next morning, Natsu is cooking breakfast. He insisted on staying the night because he did not want his girlfriend to be alone. Of course, she did not mind the company. Especially after everything she has been through.

“Just cheese, right?” he asks, glancing back at her. “No meats or anything?”

Lucy nods and takes down two plates from the cupboard. Then she walks over and sets them next to the stove before smooching his right cheek. 

He chuckles. “Hey, don’t thank me yet.” Then he grimaces. “There’s still a chance I might burn this…”

She rolls her eyes and playfully whacks him. *No burning.*

“No promises.”

Lucy steps back and leans against the counter to take in the scene that seems very domestic to her. Her boyfriend is in her kitchen cooking them breakfast. To make matters better, he is shirtless and wearing a pair of her black sweatpants.

“Like whatcha see?” Natsu asks, waggling his eyebrows at her. 

She cannot help but smile. *I do.*

He playfully points the spatula at her. “Hey, save the “you do’s” for later. You’re not even wearing a white dress.” He certainly has learned how to push her buttons and embarrass her.

So it is no surprise to either of the two that she blushes because of his words. 

Then Natsu busies himself with cooking the eggs so he does not burn anything. After all, he wants it to be perfect. 

After a moment, Lucy steps towards her boyfriend and hugs him from behind. She rests her face against the skin of his bare back. 

He places his left hand on her in an affectionate way, not bothering to say a word. No words are needed for a moment like this. 

x-X-x

With their bellies full and content, Natsu is loading up the dishwasher from their meal and some other dishes that have gathered. Lucy merely watches the scene from where she is still sitting at the table. Sure, he has done something like before, but typically they trade off. Lucy normally cooks so Natsu is the one who cleans since he wants to keep things fair. He does not want one person doing everything, which is what he is doing now. 

Natsu finally closes the door and runs the machine, turning to face Lucy. “What?” he asks, now noticing that she has been staring. 

*Since when do you do both?* she signs. 

He simply shrugs. “Just a lil’ change up I s’pose.”

*Are you feeling all right?*

“Pfft, I’m fine, Luce.” 

*Are you sure?* she stresses. 

Natsu walks over to Lucy and kneels down so she will not have to look up at him. Rather than holding her hands because she will need them to sign, he rests his hands on her thighs. “I’m happy I have ya back. I’m really happy.” Then his smile falters. “For awhile, I was scared. I was so scared that I wouldn’t see ya. And it felt like there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to help ya.

“Luce, I love ya. And I don’t wanna lose ya. Not again. Never again. And”-his eyes grow wide-“Wait, are you crying?”

Sure enough, she is misty eyed and fighting to keep any tears from falling. His meaningful words and raw emotions have hit Lucy hard. 

“Hey, don’t cry,” Natsu says gently. “I wanna make ya happy, not sad.”

*You do make me happy,* she signs, blinking away tears. *You make me really happy.*

He grins. “Good! That’s how things should be.”

*Things should be like this. Like how they are now.*

Natsu tilts his head to one side. “Whatcha mean?”

*I liked that we slept in the same bed last night. I liked that we woke up together today. I liked that we had breakfast together. Being with you is what I like and what I want.* Lucy takes a deep breath. *I might be stupid for this, but I know I want you after knowing you for four months.*

Natsu softly smiles. “I wantcha, too, Luce. And we’re only get better from here on out.”

*Do you…* Lucy inhales deeply, trying to remain cool. *Do you want… to move in with me?”

His entire body stiffens. “Wh-what?”

It is rare for him to become tongue twisted with words, and now Lucy is regretting what she signed. Maybe it is too soon to even suggest taking their relationship–

In the blink of an eye, Natsu’s mouth is on hers while his hands are holding her head in place. To say the least, Lucy is stunned at this sudden display of affection. However, she finds herself swept away by the moment. She leans forward so he will not have to stretch so much and angles her head so the kiss can be better.

When Natsu finally breaks the kiss, he rests his forehead against her. “Please tell me ya mean that, Luce?” he says breathlessly. 

Placing her hands over his and moving her head back slightly, she nods. 

Something sparks in his eyes. “Really?”

Again, she nods. 

Natsu lights up, grinning from ear to ear. He grabs his girlfriend, lifts her up, and twirls her around. “I’m all fired up now!” When he sets her down, he smooches her. “I love ya.”

Standing on her tiptoes, she pecks his lips. 

“I love ya a lot,” he says. 

She kisses him again, a little bit longer than the last time.

“Like, I love ya a whooole lot.” 

Lucy ends up bopping his nose rather than kissing him. 

He chuckles. “Guess ya caught on that I wanted more from ya.”

She merely nods. 

Suddenly, Natsu’s eyes grow wide. “Gah, that means I got packing to do!” 

*Relax,* Lucy signs after stepping back so she has room. *We will have plenty of time. And I’m sure your family will help us.”

“Are you gonna be cool with having Happy here, too?”

*Of course! You two are a package deal!” 

“I should be able to get started packing today…” he muses. 

*I will be here until someone comes over to cover up the spray paint.*

“Oh, yeahhhh. Sting and Rogue said they’d have somebody come here this afternoon to fix the ceiling.” Natsu thinks for a moment. “Maybe I can get started on packing while ya wait here. I could bring Happy over so he can keep ya company. Or have somebody drop him off here.”

*I will be fine by myself,* she assures him. 

“Hey, last time that happened–” he begins. 

*Do you want me to see if Levy is free?* she suggests. 

Natsu smiles. “That’d make me feel better.”

*I’ll text her while you get dressed.*

“Dressed?” He looks down at himself. “Oh, yeah. Guess I should put my clothes back on.” Without warning, he yanks down the sweatpants and steps out of them, standing in nothing but his Guitar Hero boxers. 

Lucy’s face heats up in an instant and she clamps her eyes shut. 

His laughter fills the house. “What’s with that reaction?”

*Go put your clothes on!* she signs, keeping her eyes closed. 

“Fineee,” he says, voice getting further away. 

She peeks her eyes open, watching him go as he carries the sweatpants with him. Now she is wondering what exactly she has gotten herself into. Lucy smiles though. It will definitely be an adventure for sure. After all, it is always more fun when they are together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Part 1: IT. IS. DONE. OH, MY GOODNESS. GUYS, THIS WAS ORIGNALLY MEANT AS A ONE-SHOT AND REACHED ITS LAST CHAPTER AT 45!! *deep breath* I want to thank every single one of you for reading this fic ^-^ All of the positive attention and feedback have meant a lot and have encouraged me to keep up with writing! 
> 
> A/N Part 2: Just a little thing I wanted to share with y’all. After I posted Chapter 41, I realized it woulda been silly for Minerva to spray paint the logo. After all, she and Jiemma would have wanted to keep things a secret. But I wanted to keep the logo. So I decided to add Sting and Rogue in XD Sometimes mistakes can be good, haha! 
> 
> A/N Part 3: Currently, I have 2 other fics that are still going if y’all still want to read fics of mine. Up next will be Ink and Icing! It will take a bit for me to get started with that idea and building it up before I post. After all, I really want to make it great for my readers! :D
> 
> A/N Part 4: AGAIN, A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO ALL!!


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